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-^^ BIOGRAPHICAL 







RECORD 1 



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0¥ 



SENECA AND SCHUYLER COUNTIES 

NHW YORK 



Containing Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent 
and Representative Gitizen? of the Counties. 

Together with Biographies and Portraits of all the Presidents 

of the United States. 



■/ NEW YORK AND CHICAGO: 
CHAPMAN PUBLISHING CO., 

1895- 




PREFACB 



"HE greatest of English historians, Macaulay, and one of the most brilliant writers of the 
present century, has said; "The history of a country is best told in a record of the lives of its 
people." In conformity with this idea, the Portrait and Biographical Record of this 
county has been prepared. Instead of going to musty records, and taking therefrom dry statistical 
matter that can be appreciated by but few, our corps of writers have gone to the people, the men 
and women who have, by their enterprise and industrv, brought the county to a rank .second to none 
among those comprising this great and noble state, and from their lips have the story of their life 
struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelligent public. 
In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imitation of coming 
generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and economy have 
accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing an education, have 
become learned men and women, with an influence extending throughout the length and breadth of 
the land. It tells of men who have ri.sen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and 
whose names have become fam.nis. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to 
succeed, and records how that success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells also of manv, verv 
many, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way ," 
content to have it said of them, as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — "Thev have 
done what they could." It tells h )w that many in the pride and strength of young manhood left 
the plow and the anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, 
and at their country's call went forth valiantly "to do or die," and how through their efforts the 
Union was restored and peace once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every 
woman is a les.son that should not be lo.st upon those who follow after. 

Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the 
fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would 
otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work, and everj* 
opportunity possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written, and 
the publishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. 
In addition to the biographical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given. 

The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will be missed in this volume. For this 
the publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some refu.sed to give 
the information nece.ssary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally- some 
member of the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of 
the interested one would be withheld. In a few instances men could never be found, though 
repeated calls were made at their residences or places of business. 

Chapman Publishing Co. 

December, 1895. 








"«^r^ 






Portraits and Biographies 



OF THE 



PR§SIDgNTS 



OF THE 



UNITED STATES 









ili 



ii' 






GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



HE Father of our Country was born in West- 
moreland County, Va. , February 22, 1732. 
His parents were Augustine and Mary (Ball) 
Washington. The family to which he belonged 
has not been satisfactorily traced in England. 
His great-grandfather, John Washington, emi- 
grated to Virginia about 1657, and became a 
prosperous planter. He had two sons, Lawrence 
and John. The former married Mildred Warner, 
and had three children, John, Augnstine and 
Mildred. Augustine, the father of George, first 
married Jane Butler, who bore him four children, 
two of whom, Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
maturity. Of six children by his second mar- 
riage, George was the eldest, the others being 
Betty, Samuel, John Augustine, Charles and 
Mildred. 

Augustine Washington, the father of George, 
died in 1743, leaving a large landed property. 
To his eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an 
estate on the Potomac, afterwards known as Mt. 
Vernon, and to George he left the parental resi- 
dence. George received only such education as 
the neighborhood .schools afforded, save for a 
short time after he left school, when he received 
private instruction in mathematics. His spelling 
was rather defective. Remarkable stories are 
told of his great physical strength and develop- 
ment at an early age. He was an acknowledged 
\eader among his companions, and was early 
QOted for that nobleness of character, fairness and 
veracity which characterized his whole life. 

When George was fourteen years old he had a 
desire to go to sea, and a midshipman's warrant 
was secured for him, but through the opposition 
pf his mother the idea was abandoned. Two ! 



years later he was appointed surveyor to the im- 
mense estate of Lord Fairfax. In this business 
he spent three years in a rough frontier life, 
gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
essential to him. In 1751, though only nineteen 
years of age, he vi'as appointed Adjutant, with the 
rank of Major, in the Virginia militia, then being 
trained for active ser\-ice against the French and 
Indians. Soon after this he sailed to the West 
Indies with his brother Lawrence, who went there 
to restore his health. They soon returned, and 
in the summer of 1752 Lawrence died, leaving a 
large fortune to an infant daughter, who did not 
long survive him. On her demi.se the estate of 
Mt. Vernon was given to George. 

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddle as Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia 
was reorganized, and the province divided into 
four military districts, of which the northern was 
assigned to Washington as Adjutant-General. 
Shortly after this a verj' perilous mission, which 
others had refused, was assigned him and ac- 
cepted. This was to proceed to the French post 
near Lake Erie, in northwestern Pennsylvania. 
The distance to be traversed was about six hun- 
dred miles. Winter was at hand, and the journey 
was to be made without military escort, through 
a territory occupied by Indians. The trip was a 
perilous one, and several times he nearly lost his 
life, but he returned in safety and furnished a full 
and useful report of his expedition. A regimeni 
of three hundred men was raised in Virginia and 
put in command of Col. Joshua Fry, and Maj. 
Washington was commissioned Lieu ten ant- Colo- 
nel. Active war Was then begun again.st the 
French and Indians, in which Washington took 



20 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



a most important part. In the memorable event 
of July 9, 1755, known as "Braddock's defeat," 
Washington was almost the only officer of dis- 
tinction who escaped from the calamities of the 
day with life and honor. 

Having been for five years in the military serv- 
ice, and having vainly sought promotion in the 
royal army, he took advantage of the fall of Ft. Du- 
quesne and the expulsion of the French from the 
valley of the Ohio to resign his commission. Soon 
after he entered the Legislature, where, although 
not a leader, he took an active and important 
part. January 17, 1759, he married Mrs. Martha 
( Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy widow of John 
Parke Custis. 

When the British Parliament had closed the 
port of Boston, the cry went up throughout the 
provinces, ' ' The cause ot Boston is the cause of 
us all! " It was then, at the suggestion of Vir- 
ginia, that a congress of all the colonies was 
called to meet at Philadelphia September 5, 
1774, to secure their common liberties, peaceably 
if possible. To this congress Col. Washington 
was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
congress re-assembled, when the hostile inten- 
tions of England were plainly apparent. The 
battles of Concord and Lexington had been fought, 
and among the first acts of this congress was the 
election of a commander-in-chief of the Colonial 
forces. This high and responsible office was con- 
ferred upon Washington, who was still a member 
of the congress. He accepted it on June 19, but 
upon the express condition that he receive no sal- 
ary. He would keep an exact account of ex- 
penses, and expect congress to pay them and 
nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch 
to trace the military acts of Washington, to whom 
the fortunes and liberties of the people of this 
country were so long confided. The war was 
conducted by him under ever>' po.ssible disadvan- 
tage; and while his forces often met with reverses, 
yet he overcame every obstacle, and after seven 
years of heroic devotion and matchless skill he 
gained liberty for the greatest nation of earth. 
On December 23, 1783, Washington, in a parting 
address of surpassing beaut\', resigned his com- 
mission as Commander-in-Chief of the army to the 



Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He 
retired immediately to Mt. Vernon and resumed 
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning 
all connection with public life. 

In February-, 1789, Washington was unani- 
mously elected President, and at the expiration 
of his first term he was unanimously re-elected. 
At the end of this term many were anxious that he 
be re-elected, but he absolutely refused a third 
nomination. On March 4, 1797, at the expiration 
of his second term as President, he returned to his 
home, hoping to pass there his few remaining 
years free from the annoj-ances of public life. 
Later in the year, however, his repose seemed 
likely to be interrupted by war with France. At 
the prospect of such a war he was again urged to 
take command of the army, but he chose his sub- 
ordinate officers and left them the charge of mat- 
ters in the field, which he superintended from his 
home. In accepting the command, he made the 
reservation that he was not to be in the field until 
it was necessary. In the midst of these prepara- 
tions his life was suddenly cut off. December 1 2 
he took a severe cold from a ride in the rain, 
which, settling in his throat, produced inflamma- 
tion, and terminated fatally on the night of the 
14th. On the i8th his body was borne with mili- 
tarj- honors to its final resting-place, and interred 
in the family vault at Mt. Vernon. 

Of the character of Washington it is impossible 
to speak but in terms of the highest respect and 
admiration. The more we see of the operations 
of our government, and the more deeply we feel 
the difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common 
Interest, the more highly we must estimate the 
force of his talent and character, which have been 
able U> challenge the reverence of all parties, 
and principles, and nations, and to win a fame as 
extended as the Hmits of the globe, and which we 
cannot but believe will be as lasting as the exist- 
ence of man. 

In person, Washington was unusually tall, erect 
and well proportioned, and his muscular strength 
was great. His features were of a beausiful sym- 
metry. He commanded respect without any ap- 
pearance of haughtiness, and was ever serious 
without being dull, 




JOHN ADAMS. 



JOHN ADAMS. 



(TOHX ADAMS, the second President and the 
I first \'ice- President of the United vStates, was 
V2/ I'orn in Braintree (now Quincj') Mass., and 
about ten miles from Boston, October 19, 1735. 
His great-grandfather, Henn,- Adams, emigrated 
from England about 1640, with a family of eight 
sons, and settled at Braintree. The parents of 
John were John and vSusannah (Bo\lstonJ 
Adams. His father, who was a farmer of limited 
means, also engaged in the business of .shoe- 
making. He gave his eldest son, John, a classical 
education at Harvard College. John graduated 
in 1755, and at once took charge of the .school at 
Worcester, Mass. This he found but a "school 
of affliction, ' ' from which he endeavored to gain 
relief by devoting himself in addition, tc the 
stud)- of law. For this purpose he placed himself j 
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. 
He had thought seriously of the clerical profes- 
sion, but seems to have been turned from this by 
what he termed " the frightful engines of ecclesi- 
astical councils, of diabolical malice, and Calvin- 
istic good nature, ' ' of the operations of which he 
had been a witness in his native town. He was 
well fitted for the legal profession, possessing a 
clear, sonorous voice, being ready and fluent of 
speech, and having quick perceptive powers. He 
gradually gained a practice, and in 1764 married 
Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, and a 
lady of superior intelligence. Shortlj- after his 
marriage, in 1765, the attempt at parliamentary- 
taxation turned him from law to politics. He 
took initial steps toward holding a town meeting, 
and the resolutions he offered on the subject be- 
came very popular throughout the province, and 
were adopted word for word by over forty differ- 
ent towns. He moved to Boston in 1768, and 
became one of the most courageous and promi- 
nent advocates of the popular cau.se, and was 
chosen a member of the General Court (the L,eg- 
i.slature) in 1770. 

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first dele- 



gates from Massachusetts to the first Continent- 
al Congress, which met m 1774. Here he dis- 
tinguished himself by his capacity for bu.siness 
and for debate, and advocated the movement for 
independence against the majority of the mem- 
bers. In May, 1776, he moved and carried a res- 
olution in Congress that the Colonies .should 
assume the duties of self-govermuent. He was a 
pi-ominent member of the committee of five ap- 
pointed June 1 1 to prepare a declaration of inde- 
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, 
but on Adams devolved the task of battling it 
through Congress in a three-days debate. 

On the day after the Declaration of Independ- 
ence was passed, while his soul was yet warm 
with the glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter 
to his wife, which, as we read it now, seems to 
have been dictated by the spirit of prophecy. 
"Yesterday," he says, "the greatest question 
was decided that ever was debated in America; 
and greater, perhaps, never was or will be de- 
cided among men. A resolution was passed 
without one dissenting colony, 'that these United 
States are, and of right ought to be, free and in- 
dependent states.' The day is passed. The 
Fourth of July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch 
in the histor>- of America. I am apt to believe it 
will be celebrated by succeeding generations as 
the great anniversary festival. It ought to be 
commemorated as the day of deliverance by 
solemn acts of devotion to Almighty God. It 
ought to be solemnized with pomp, shows, games, 
sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations 
from one end of the continent to the other, from 
this time forward forever. You will think me 
transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I 
am well aware of the toil and blood and treas- 
ure that it will cost to maintain this declaration 
and support and defend these States; yet, through 
all the gloom, I can see the rays of light and 
glorj'. I can see that the end is worth more than 
all the means, and that posterity will triumph, 



24 



JOHN ADAMS. 



although you and I may rue, which I hope we 
shall not." 

In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed 
a delegate to France, and to co-operate with Ben- 
jamin Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then 
in Paris, in the endeavor to obtain assistance in 
arms and money from the French government. 
This was a severe trial to his patriotism, as it 
separated him from his home, compelled him to 
cross the ocean in winter, and exposed him to 
great peril of capture by the British cruisers, who 
were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
1779. In September of the same year he was 
again chosen to go to Paris, and there hold him- 
self in readiness to negotiate a treaty of peace and 
of commerce with Great Britain, as soon as the 
British cabinet might be found willing to listen 
to such proposals. He sailed for France in No- 
vember, and from there he went to Holland, where 
he negotiated important loans and formed im- 
portant commercial treaties. 

Finally, a treaty of peace with England was 
signed, January 21, 1783. The re-action from the 
excitement, toil and anxiety through which Mr. 
Adams had passed threw him into a fever. After 
suffering from a continued fever and becoming 
feeble and emaciated, he was advised to go to 
England to drink the waters of Bath. While in 
England, still drooping and desponding, he re- 
ceived dispatches from his own government urg- 
ing the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to 
negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health 
was delicate, yet he immediately set out, and 
through storm, on sea, on horseback and foot, he 
made the trip. 

Febniary 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. 
Adams envoy to the Court of St. James. Here 
he met face to face the King of England, who 
had so long regarded him as a traitor. As Eng- 
land did not condescend to appoint a minister to 
the United States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he 
was accomplishing but little, he sought permis- 
sion to return to his own countrj-, where he ar- 
rived in June, 1788. 

When Washington was first chosen President, 
John Adams, rendered illustrious by his signal 
services at home and abroad, was chosen Vice- 



President. Again, at the second election of Wash- 
ington as President, Adams was chosen Vice- 
President. In 1796, Washington retired from 
public life, and Mr. Adams was elected President, 
though not without much opposition. Ser\'ing 
in this ofifice four years, he was succeeded by Mr. 
Jefferson, his opponent in politics. 

While Mr. Adams was Vice-President the 
great French Revolution shook the continent of 
Europe, and it was upon this point that he was 
at issue with the majority of his countrymen, led 
by Mr. Jefferson. Mr. Adams felt no sympathy 
with the French people in their struggle, for he 
had no confidence in their power of self-govern- 
ment, and he utterly abhorred the class of atheist 
philosophers who, he claimed, caused it. On the 
other hand, Jefferson's sympathies were strongly 
enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence 
originated the alienation between these distin- 
tinguished men, and the two powerful parties were 
thus soon organized, vdth Adams at the head of 
the one whose sympathies were with England, 
and Jefferson leading the other in sympathy with 
France. 

The Fourth of July, 1826, which completed the 
half-century since the signing of the Declaration 
of Independence, arrived, and there were but 
three of the signers of that immortal instrument 
left upon the earth to hail its morning light. 
And, as it is well known, on that day two of 
these finished their earthl}- pilgrimage, a coinci- 
dence so remarkable as to seem miraculous. For 
a few days before Mr. Adams had been rapidly 
failing, and on the morning of the Fourth he 
found himself too weak to rise from his bed. On 
being requested to name a toast for the cus- 
tomary celebration of the day, he exclaimed 
"Independence forever!" When the day was 
ushered in by the ringing of bells and the firing 
of camions, he was asked by one of his attend- 
ants if he knew what day it was? He replied, 
' ' O yes, it is the glorious Fourth of Juh — God 
bless it — God bless you all!" In the course of 
the day he said, "It is a great and glorious 
day." The last words he uttered were, "Jeffe-- 
son survives." But he had, at one o'clock, 
resigned his spirit into the hands of his God, 




THOMAS JEFFERSON". 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



HOMAS JEFFERSON was bom April 2, 
1743, at Shadwell, Albemarle County, Va. 
His parents were Peter and Jane (Ran- 
dolph) Jefferson, the former a native of Wales, 
and the latter born in London. To them were 
bom six daughters and two sons, of whom Thomas 
was the elder. When fourteen years of age his 
father died. He received a most liberal educa- 
tion, having been kept diligently at school from 
the time he was five years of age. In 1760 he 
entered William and Mary College. Williams- 
burg was then the seat of the Colonial court, and 
it was the abode of fashion and splendor. Young 
Jefferson, who was then seventeen 3'ears old, lived 
somewhat expensively, keeping fine horses, and 
going much into gay society; j-et he was ear- 
nestly devoted to his studies, and irreproachable in 
his morals. In the second year of his college 
course, moved by some unexplained impulse, he 
discarded his old companions and pursuits, and 
often devoted fifteen hours a da}- to hard stud)'. 
He thus attained very high intellectual culture, 
and a like excellence in philosophy and the lan- 
guages. 

Immediately upon leaving college he began the 
study of law. For the short time he continued 
in the practice of his profession he rose rapidly, 
and distinguished himself by his energy and 
acuteness as a law>'er. But the times called for 
greater action. The policy of England had awak- 
ened the spirit of resistance in the American Col- 
onies, and the enlarged views which Jefferson had 
ever entertained soon led him into active politi- 
cal life. In I 769 he was chosen a member of the 
Virginia House of Burgesses. In 1772 he mar- 



ried Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beautiful, 
wealthy, and highly accomplished young widow. 

In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
where, though a silent member, his abilities as a 
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
was placed upon a number of important com- 
mittees, and was chairman of the one appointed 
for the drawing up of a declaration of independ- 
ence. This committee consisted of Thomas Jef- 
ferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger 
Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson, 
as chairman, was appointed to draw up the paper. 
Franklin and Adams suggested a few verbal 
changes before it was submitted to Congress. On 
June 28, a few slight changes were made in it bj- 
Congress, and it was passed and signed July 4, 
1776. 

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
Patrick Henry as Governor of Virginia. At one 
time the British officer Tarleton sent a secret 
expedition to Monticello to capture the Governor. 
Scarcely five minutes elapsed after the hurried 
escape of Mr. Jefferson and his familj' ere his 
mansion was in possession of the British troops. 
His wife's health, never very good, was much 
injured by this excitement, and in the summer 
of 1782 she died. 

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
Two years later he was appointed Minister Pleni- 
potentiary- to France. Returning to the United 
States in September, 1 789, he became Secretarj' 
of State in Washington's cabinet. This position 
he resigned January i, 1794. In 1797, he was 
chosen Vice-President, and four years later was 
elected President over Mr. Adams, with Aaron 



28 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



Burr as Vice-President. In 1804 he was re- 
elected with wonderful unanimity, George Clin- 
ton being elected Vice-President. 

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second ad- 
ministration was disturbed by an event which 
threatened the tranquilhty and peace of the Union; 
tliis was the conspiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated 
in the late election to the Vice-Presidency, and 
led on by an unprincipled ambition, this extraor- 
dinary man form;d the plan of a military ex- 
pedition into the Spanish territories on our south- 
western frontier, for the purpose of forming there 
a new republic. This was generally supposed 
to have been a mere pretext; and although it has 
not been generally known what his real plans 
were, there is no doubt that they were of a far 
more dangerous character. 

In 1809, at the expiration of the second term 
for which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he de- 
termined to retire from political life. For a period 
of nearly forty years he had been continually be- 
fore the public, and all that time had been em- 
ployed in offices of the greatest trust and respon - 
sibility. Having thus devoted the best part of 
his life to the service of his countrj-, he now felt 
desirous of that rest which his declining years re- 
quired, and upon the organization of the new ad- 
ministration, in March, 1809, he bade farewell for- 
■«ver to public life and retired to Monticello, his 
famous country home, which, next to Mt. Vernon, 
was the most distinguished residence in the land. 

The Fourth of July, 1826, beingthe fiftieth an- 
niversary of the Declaration of American Inde- 
pendence, great preparations were made in everj' 
part of the Union for its celebration as the nation's 
jubilee, and the citizens of Washington, to add to 
the solemnity of the occasion, invited Mr. Jeffer- 
son, as the framer and one of the few sur\-iving 
signers of the Declaration, to participate in their 
festivities. But an illness, which had been of 
several weeks' duration and had been continually 
increasing, compelled him to decline the invita- 
tion. 

On the 2d of July the disease under which he 
was laboring left him, but in such a reduced 
state that his medical attendants entertained no 
hope of his recovery. From this time he was 



perfectly sensible that his last hour was at hand. 
On the next daj-, which was Monday, he asked 
of those around him the day of the month, and 
on being told it was the 3d of July, he ex- 
pressed the earnest wish that he might be per- 
mitted to breathe the air of the fifcieth auniver- 
sarj'. His prayer was heard — that day wlicse 
dawn was hailed with such lapture through our 
land burst upon his eyes, and then they were 
closed forever. And what a noble consummation 
of a noble life! To die on that day — the birth- 
day of a iiation — the day which his own name 
and his own act had rendered glorious, to die 
amidst the rejoicings and festivities of a whole 
nation, who looked up to him as the author, un- 
der God, of their greatest blessings, was all that 
was wanting to fill up the record of his life. 

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- 
dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear 
him companj', left the sceneof his earthly honors. 
Hand in hand they had stood forth, the cham- 
pions of freedom ; hand ill hand, during the dark 
and desperate struggle of the Revolution, they 
had cheered and animated their desponding coun- 
trymen; for half a centurj' they had labored to- 
gether for the good of the country, and now hand 
in hand they departed. In their lives they had 
been united in the same great cause of liberty, 
and in their deaths they were not di\ided. 

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather 
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes 
were light, his hair, originally red, in after life be- 
came white and silverj% his complexion was fair, 
his forehead broad, and his whole countenance 
intelligent and thoughtful. He possessed great 
fortitude of mind as well as personal courage, and 
his command of temper was such that his oldest 
and most intimate friends never recollected to 
have seen him in a passion. His manners, though 
dignified, were simple and unaffected, and his 
hospitality was so unbounded that all found at 
his house a readj^ welcome. In conversation he 
was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic, and his 
language was remarkably pure and correct. He 
was a finished classical scholar, and in his writ- 
ings is discernible the care with which he formed 
his style upon the best models of antiquity. 




JAMES MADISON. 



JAMES MADISON. 



(Tames MADISON, "Father of the Consti- 

I tution, ' ' and fourth President of the United 
(2/ States, was born March i6, 1757, and died 
at his home in Virginia June 28, 1836. The 
name of James Madison is inseparably connected 
with most of the important events in that heroic 
period of our country- during which the founda- 
tions of this great repubHc were laid. He was 
the last of the founders of the Constitution of the 
United States to be called to his eternal reward. 

The Madison family were among the early emi- 
grants to the New World, landing upon the shores 
of the Chesapeake but fifteen years after the settle- 
ment of Jamestown. The father of James Madison 
was an opulent planter, residing upon a ver\' fine 
estate called Montpelier, in Orange County, Va. 
It was but twenty-five miles from the home of Jef- 
ferson at Monticello, and the closest personal and 
political attachment existed between these illustri- 
ous men from their early youth until death. 

The early education of Mr. Madison was con- 
ducted mostly at home under a private tutor. At 
the age of eighteen he was sent to Princeton Col- 
lege, in New Jersey. Here he applied himself to 
study with the most imprudent zeal, allowing him- 
.self for months but three hours' sleep out of the 
twenty-four. His health thus became so seriously 
impaired that he never recovered any vigor of 
constitution. He graduated in 1 77 1 , with a feeble 
body, but with a character of utmost purity, and 
a mind highly disciplined and richly stored with 
learning, which embellished and gave efficiency 
to his subsequent career. 

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study 
of law and a course of extensive and systematic 
reading. This educational course, the spirit of 
the times in which he lived, and the society with 
which he associated, all combined to inspire him 
with a strong love of liberty, and to train him for 
his life-work as a statesman. 

In the spring of 1776, when twenty-six years of 



age, he was elected a member of the Virginia Con- 
vention to frame the constitution of the State. The 
next year (1777) , he was a candidate for the Gen- 
eral Assembly. He refused to treat the whisky -lov- 
ing voters, and consequently lost his election; but 
those who had witnessed the talent, energy and 
public spirit of the modest young man enlisted 
themselves in his behalf, and he was appointed to 
the Executive Council. 

Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 
Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison re- 
mained member of the Council, and their apprecia- 
tion of his intellectual, social and moral worth 
contributed not a little to his subsequent eminence. 
In the year 1780 he was elected a member of the 
Continental Congress. Here he met the most il- 
lustrious men in our land, and he was immediately 
assigned to one ot the most con,spicuous positions 
among them. For three years he continued in Con- 
gress, one of its most active and influential mem- 
bers. In 1784, his term having expired, he was 
elected a member of the Virginia Legislature. 

No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the 
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no 
national government, and no power to form trea- 
ties which would be binding, or to enforce law. 
There was not any State more prominent than 
Virginia in the declaration that an efficient na- 
tional govenunent must be formed. In January, 
1786, Mr. Madison carried a resolution through 
the General Assembly of Virginia, inviting the 
other States to appoint commissioners to meet in 
convention at Annapolis to discuss this subject. 
Five States only were represented. The conven- 
tion, however, issued another call, drawn up by 
Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their 
delegates to Philadelphia in May, 1787, to draft 
a Constitution for the United States, to take the 
place of the Confederate League. The delegates 
met at the time appointed. Every State but 
Rhode Island was represented. George Washing- 



32 



JAMES MADISON. 



ton was chosen president of the convention, and the 
present Constitution of the United States was then 
and there formed. There was, perhaps, no mind 
and no pen more active in framing this immortal 
document than the mind and the pen of James 
Madison. 

The Constitution, adopted by a vote of eighty-one 
to seventy-nine, was to be presented to the several 
States for acceptance. But grave solicitude was 
felt. Should it be rejected, we should be left but a 
;onglomeration of independent States, with but 
little power at home and little respect abroad. Mr. 
Madison was elected by \he convention to draw up 
an address to the people of the United States, ex- 
pounding the principles of the Constitution, and 
urging its adoption. There was great opposition 
to it at first, but at length it triumphed over all, 
and went into eifect in 1789. 

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre- 
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became 
the avowed leader of the Republican party. While 
in New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. 
Todd, a young widow of remarkable power of fas- 
cination, whom he married. She was in person 
and character queenly, and probaby no lady has 
thus far occupied so prominent a position in the 
very peculiar society which has constituted our 
republican court as did Mis. Madison. 

Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under 
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration 
was chosen President. At this time the encroach- 
ments of England had brought us to the verge of 
war. British orders in council destroyed our com- 
merce, and our flag was exposed to constant insult. 
Mr. Madison was a man of peace. Scholarly in 
his taste, retiring in his disposition, war had no 
charms for him. But the meekest spirit can be 
roused. It makes one's blood boil, even now, to 
think of an American ship brought to upon the 
ocean by the guns of an English cruiser. A 
young lieutenant steps on board and orders the 
crew to be paraded before him. With great non- 
chalance he selects any number whom he may 
please to designate as British subjects, orders them 
down the ship's side into his boat, and places them 
on the gundeck of his man-of-war, to fight, by 
compulsion, the battles of England. This right 



of search and impressment no efforts of our Gov- 
ernment could induce the British cabinet to re- 
linquish. 

On the 1 8th of June, 181 2, President Madison 
gave his approval to an act of Congress declaring 
war against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the 
bitter hostility of the Federal party to the war, the 
country in general approved; and Mr. Madison, 
on the 4th of March, 1813, was re-elected by a 
large majority, and entered upon his second term 
of office. This is not the place to describe the 
various adventures of this war on the land and on 
the water. Our infant navy then laid the found- 
ations of its renown in grappling with the most 
formidable power which ever swept the seas. The 
contest commenced in earnest by the appearance 
of a British fleet, early in Februarj', 18 13, in 
Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole coast 
of the United States under blockade. 

The Emperor of Russia offered his sen-ices as 
mediator. America accepted; England refused. 
A British force of five thousand men landed on the 
banks of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into 
Chesapeake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of 
Bladensburg, tipon Washington. 

The straggling little city of Washington was 
thrown into consternation. The cannon of the 
brief conflict at Bladensburg echoed through the 
streets of the metropolis. The whole population 
fled from the city. The President, leaving Mrs. 
Madison in the White House, with her carriage 
drawn up at the door to await his speedy return, 
hurried to meet the officers in a council of war. 
He met our troops utterly routed, and he could not 
go back without danger of being captured. But 
few hours elapsed ere the Presidential Mansion, 
the Capitol, and all the public buildings in Wash- 
ington were in flames. 

The war closed after two years of fighting, and 
on Februan,' 13, 181 5, the treaty of peace was 
signed at Ghent. On the 4th of March, 18 17, his 
second term of office expired, and he resigned the 
Presidential chair to his friend, James Monroe. 
He retired to his beautiful home at Montpelier, and 
there passed the remainder of his days. On June 
28, 1836, at the age of eighty-five years, he fell 
asleep in death. Mrs Madison died July 12, 1849. 




JAMES MONROE. 



JAMES MONROE. 



(1 AMfiS MONROE, the fifth President of the 
I United States, was born in Westmoreland 
G) County, Va., April 28, 1758. His early life 
was passed at the place of his nativity. His an- 
cestors had for many years resided in the province 
in which he was born. When he was s<;venteen 
years old, and in process of completing his educa- 
tion at William and Marj' College, the Colonial 
Congress, assembled at Philadelphia to deliberate 
upon the unjust and manifold oppressions of Great 
Britain, declared the separation of the Colonies, 
and promulgated the Declaration of Independence. 
Had he been born ten years before, it is highly 
probable that he would ha\-e been one of the 
signers of that celebrated instrument. At this 
time he left school and enhsted among the pa- 
triots. 

He joined the army when everything looked 
hopeless and gloomy. The number of deserters 
increased from day to daj'. The invading armies 
came pouring in, and the Tories not only favored 
the cause of the mother couritry, but disheartened 
the new recruits, who were sufficiently terrified 
at the prospect of contending with an enemy 
whom they had been taught to deem invincible. 
To such brave spirits as James Monroe, who went 
right onward undismajed through difficulty and 
danger, the United States owe their political 
emancipation. The j^oung cadet joined the ranks 
and espoused the cause of his injured countrj^ 
with a firm determination to live or die in her 
strife for liberty. Firmly, yet sadly, he shared in 
the melancholy retreat from Harlem Heights 
and White Plains, and accompanied the dispirited 
army as it fled before its foes through New Jersey. 
In four months after the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, the patriots had been beaten in seven 
battles. At the battle of Trenton he led the van- 
guard, and in the act of charging upon the enemy 
he received a wound in the left shoulder. 



As a reward for his braverj', Mr. Monroe was 
promoted to be captain of infantry, and, having re- 
covered from his wounds, he rejoined the army. 
He, however, receded from the line of promotion 
by becoming an officer on the staff of L,ord Ster- 
ling. During the campaigns of 1777 and 1778, 
in the actions of Brandywine, Germantown and 
^lonmouth, he continued aide-de-camp; but be- 
coming desirous to regain his po.sition in the 
army, he exerted himself to collect a regiment for 
the Virginia line. This scheme failed, owing to 
the exhausted condition of the State. Upon this 
failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
that periotl Governor, and pursued with consid- 
erable ardor the study of common law. He did 
not, however, entirely lay aside the knapsack for 
the green bag, but on the invasion of the enemy 
ser\'ed as a volunteer during the two years of his 
legal pursuits. 

In 1782 he was elected from King George 
County a member of the Legislature of Virginia, 
and by that body he was elevated to a seat in the 
Executive Council. He was thus honored with 
the confidence of his fellow-citizens at twenty- 
three years of age, and having at this early period 
displayed some of that ability and aptitude foi 
legislation which were afterward employed with 
unremitting energy for the public good, he was 
in the succeeding year chosen a member of the 
Congress of the United States. 

Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of 
the old Confederacy, he was opposed to the new 
Constitution, thinking, with many others of the 
Republican party, that it gave too much power to 
the Central Government, and not enough to the 
individual States. Still he retained the esteem 
of his friends who were its warm supporters, and 
who, notwith.standing his opposition, secured its 
adoption. In 1789 he became a member of the 
United States Senate, which office he held for 



JAMES MONROE. 



four years. Every month the line of distinction 
between the two great parties which divided the 
nation, the Federal and the Republican, was 
growing more distinct. The differences which 
new separated them lay in the fact that the Repub- 
lican party was in sympathy with France, and 
also in favor of such a strict construction of the 
Constitution as to give the Central Government as 
liitle power, and the State Governmtnts as much 
power, as the Constitution would warrant ; while 
the Federalists sympathized with England, and 
were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
stitution, which would give as much power to the 
Central Government as that document could pos- 
sibly authorize. 

Washington was then President. England had 
espoused the cause of the Bourbons against the 
principles of the French Revolution. All Europe 
was drawn into the conflict. We were feeble and 
far away. Washington issued a proclamation of 
neutrality between these contending powers. 
France had helped us in the struggles for our 
liberties. All the despotisms of Europe were now 
combined to prevent the French from escaping 
from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse than that 
which we had endured. Col. Monroe, more mag- 
nanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at 
whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in 
their extremity. It was the impulse of a gener- 
ous and noble nature, and Washington, who could 
appreciate such a character, showed his calm, se- 
rene, almost divine, greatness, by appointing that 
very James Monroe who was denouncing the pol- 
icy of the Government, as the minister of that 
Government to the Republic of France. Mr. 
Monroe was welcomed by the National Conven- 
tion in France with the most enthusiastic dem- 
onstration. 

Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. 
Monroe was elected Governor of Virginia, and 
held the office for three years. He was again 
sent to France to co-operate with Chancellor Liv- 
ingston in obtaining the vast territory then known 
as the province of Louisiana, which France had 
but shortly before obtained from Spain. Their 
united efforts were successful. For the compara- 
tively small sum of fifteen miUions of dollars, the 



entire territory of Orleans and district of Loui- 
siana were added to the United States. This was 
probably the largest transfer of real estate which 
was ever made in all the history of the world. 

From France Mr. Monroe went to England to 
obtain from that country some recognition of our 
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against 
those odious impressments of our seamen. But 
England was unrelenting. He again returned to 
England on the same mission, but could receive 
no redress. He returned to his home and was 
again cho.sen Governor of Virginia. This he .soon 
resigned to accept the position of Secretary of 
State under Madison. While in this office war 
with England was declared, the Secretary of War 
resigned, and during these trying times the 
duties of the War Department were also put upon 
him. He was truly the armor-bearer of President 
Madison, and the mo.st efficient business man in 
his cabinet. Upon the return of peace he re- 
signed the Department of War, but continued in 
the office of Secretary of State until the expira- 
tion of Mr. Madison's administration. At the 
election held the previous autumn, Mr. Monroe 
himself had been chosen President with but little 
opposition, and upon March 4, 1817, he was in- 
augurated. Four years later he was elected for 
a second tenn. 

Among the important measures of his Presi- 
dency were the cession of Florida to the United 
States, the Missouri Compromise, and the famous 
" Monroe doctrine." This doctrine was enun- 
ciated by him in 1823, and was as follows: " That 
we should consider any attempt on the part of 
European powers to extend their system to any 
portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our 
peace and safety," and that " we could not view 
any interposition for the purpose of oppressing or 
controlling American governments or provinces 
in any other light than as a manifestation by 
European powers of an unfriendly disposition 
toward the United States." 

At the end of his second term, Mr. Monroe re- 
tired to his home in Virginia, where he lived un- 
til 1830, when he went to New York to live with 
his son-in-law. In that city he died, on the 4th 
of July, 1831. 




JOHN yUINCY ADAMS. 



JOHN OUINCY ADAMS. 



I 



OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the sixth President 
of the United States, was born in the rural 
home of his honored father, John Adams, in 
Quincy, Mass., on the nth of July, 1767. His 
mother, a woman of exalted worth, watched over 
his childhood during the almost constant ab- 
sence of his father. When but eight years of 
age, he stood with his mother on an eminence, 
listening to the booming of the great battle on 
Bunker's Hill, and gazing out upon the smoke 
and flames billowing up from the conflagration of 
Charlestown. 

When but eleven j-ears old he took a tearful 
adieu of his mother, to sail with his father for Eu- 
rope, through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. 
The bright, animated boy spent a year and a-half 
in Paris, where his father was associated with 
Franklin and Lee as Minister Plenipotentiar>\ 
His intelligence attracted the notice of these dis- 
tinguished men, and he received from them flat- 
tering marks of attention. 

John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. 
Again John Quincy accompanied his father. At 
Paris he applied himself to study with great dil- 
igence for six months, and then accompanied his 
father to Holland, where he entered first a school 
in Amsterdam, then the University at Leyden. 
About a year from this time, in 1781, when the 
manly boj- was but fourteen years of age, he was 
selected by Mr. Dana, our Minister to the Rus- 
sian court, as his private secretary. 

In this school of incessant labor and of ennobl- 
ing culture he spent fourteen months, and then 
returned to Holland, through Sweden, Denmark, 
Hamburg and Bremen. This long journey he 
took alone in the winter, when in his sixteenth 
j-ear. Again he resumed his .studies, under a pri- 
vate tutor, at The Hague. Then, in the spring of 
1782, he accompanied his father to Paris, travel- 
ing leisurely, and forming acquaintances with the 
most distinguished men on the continent, examin- 



ing architectural remains, galleries of paintings, 
and all renowned works of art. At Paris lit 
again became a.ssociated with the most illustrious 
men of all lands in the contemplation of the 
loftiest temporal themes which can engross the 
human mind. After a short visit to England he 
returned to Paris, and consecrated all his energies 
to .study until May, 1785, when he returned to 
America to finish his education. 

Upon leaving Harvard College at the age ol 
twenty, he studied law for three years. In Jmiic, 
1794, being then but twenty-seven years of age, 
he was appointed by Washington Resident Min- 
ister at the Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in 
July, he reached London in October, wheie he 
was immediately admitted to the deliberations ol 
Me.ssrs. Jay & Pinckney, assisting them in nego- 
tiating a commercial treaty with Great Britain. 
After thus spending a fortnight in London, he 
proceeded to The Hague. 

In Jul\-, 1797, he left The Hague to go to Por- 
tugal as Minister Plenipotentiarj-. On his way to 
Portugal, upon arriving in London, he met with 
despatches directing him to the court of Berlin, but 
requesting him to remain in London until he 
should receive his instructions. While waiting 
he was married to an American lady, to whom he 
had been previously engaged — Miss Louisa Cath- 
erine Johnson, a daughter of Jo.sluia Johnson, 
American Consul in London, and a lady en- 
dowed with that beauty and those accomplish- 
ments which eminently fitted her to move in the 
elevated sphere for which she was destined. He 
reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797, 
where he remained until July, 1709. when, hav- 
ing fulfilled all the purposes of his mission, he so 
licited his recall. 

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen 
to the Senate of Massachu.setts from Boston, and 
then was elected Senator of the United States for 
six years, from the 4th of March, 1804. His rep- 
utation, his ability and his experieuce placed 



40 



JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 



him immediately among the most prominent and 
influential members of that body. 

In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the 
Presidential chair, and he immediately nominated 
John Quincy Adams Minister to St. Petersburgh. 
Resigning his professorship in Harvard Col- 
lege, he embarked at Boston in August, 1809. 

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense 
student. He devoted his attention to the lan- 
guage and historj' of Russia; to the Chinese trade; 
to the European .system of weights, measures and 
coins; to the climate and astronomical observa- 
tions; while he kept up a familiar acquaintance 
with the Greek and Latin classics. In all the 
universities of Europe, a more accomplished 
scholar could scarcely be found. All through 
life the Bible constituted an important part of his 
studies. It was his rule to read five chapters 
every day. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took 
the Presidential chair, and immediately appointed 
Mr. Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of 
his numerous friends in public and private life in 
Europe, he sailed in June, 18 19, for the United 
States. On the 18th of August, he again crossed 
the threshold of his home in Quincy. During the 
eight years of Mr. Monroe's administration, Mr. 
Adams continued Secretary of State. 

Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's 
second term of office, new candidates began to be 
presented for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. 
Adams brought forward his name. It was an 
exciting campaign, and party spirit was never 
more bitter. Two hundred and sixty electoral 
votes were cast. Andrew Jackson received ninety- 
nine; John Quincy Adams eighty-four; William 
H. Crawford forty-one; and Henry Clay thirty- 
seven. As there was no choice by the people, 
the question went to the House of Representa- 
tives. Mr. Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to 
Mr. Adams, and he was elected. 

The friends of all the disappointed candidates 
now combined in a venomous and persistent as- 
sault upon Mr. Adams. There is nothing more 
disgraceful in the past history of our countrj- than 
the abuse which was poured in one uninterrupted 
stream upon this high-minded, upright and pa- 



triotic man. There never was an administration 
more pure in principles, more conscientiously de- 
voted to the best interests of the countn,', than 
that of John Quincy Adams; and never, perhaps, 
was there an administration more unscrupulously 
and outrageously assailed. 

On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired 
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by An- 
drew Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected 
Vice-President. The slavery question now be- 
gan to assume portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams 
returned to Quincy and to his studies, which he 
pursued with unabated zeal. But he was not 
long permitted to remain in retirement. In No- 
vember, 1830, he was elected Representative in 
Congress. For seventeen years, or until his death, 
he occupied the post as Representative, towering 
above all his peers, ever ready to do brave battle 
for freedom, and winning the title of "the Old 
Man Eloquent." Upon taking his seat in the 
House, he announced that he should hold him- 
self bound to no party. Probably there never 
was a member more devoted to his duties. He 
was usually the first in his place in the morning, 
and the last to leave his seat in the evening. 
Not a measure could be brought forward and es- 
cape his scrutiny. The battle which Mr. Adams 
fought, almost singly, against the pro-slavery 
party in the Government was sublime in its 
moral daring and heroism. For persisting in 
presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, 
he was threatened with indictment by the grand 
jury, with expulsion from the House, with assas- 
sination; but no threats could intimidate him, and 
his final triumph was complete. 

On the 2ist of February', 1848, he rose on the 
Hoot of Congress with a paper in his hand, to 
address the speaker. Suddenly he fell, again 
stricken by paralysis, and was caught in the arms 
of those around him. For a time he was sense- 
less, as he was conveyed to the sofa in the ro- 
tunda. With reviving consciousness, he opened 
his eyes, looked calmly around and said "This 
is the end of earth;" then after a moment's pause 
he added, " I am content." These were the last 
words of the grand ' ' Old Man Eloquent. ' ' 




ANDREW JACKSON. 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



GInDREW JACKSON, the seventh President 
LA of the United States, was born in Waxhaw 
/ I settlement, N. C, March 15, 1767, a few 
days after his father's death. His parents were 
poor emigrants from Ireland, and took up their 
abode in Waxhaw settlement, where they lived 
in deepest poverty. 

Andrew, or Andy, as he was universally called, 
grew up a very rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
features were coarse, his form ungainly, and there 
was but very little in his character made visible 
which was attractive. 

When onlj- thirteen j'ears old he joined the 
volunteers of Carolina against the British invasion. 
In 1 78 1, he and his brother Robert were captured 
and imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British 
officer ordered him to brush his mud-spattered 
boots. "lam a prisoner of war, not your serv- 
ant, ' was the reply of the dauntless boy. 

Andrew supported himself in various ways, such 
as working at the saddler's trade, teaching school, 
and clerking in a general store, until 1784, when 
he entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, 
howevei', gave more attention to the wild amuse- 
ments of the times than to his studies. In 1788, 
he was appointed solicitor for the Western District 
of North Carolina, of which Tennessee was then 
a part. This involved many long journeys amid 
dangers of.ever>- kind, but Andrew Jackson never 
knew fear, and the Indians had no desire to re- 
peat a skirmish with "Sharp Knife." 

In 1 791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman 
who supposed herself divorced from her former 
husband. Great was the surprise of both parties, 
two years later, to find that the conditions of the 
divorce had just been definitely settled by the 
fir.'^t husband. The marriage ceremony was per- 
formed a second time, but the occurrence was 
often used by his enemies to bring Mr. Jackson 
into disfavor. 



In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee 
then containing nearly eighty thousand inhabi- 
tants, the people met in convention at Knoxville 
to frame a constitution. Five were sent from 
each of the eleven counties. Andrew Jackson 
was one of the delegates. The new State was 
entitled to but one member in the National House 
of Representatives. Andrew Jackson was chosen 
that member. Mounting his horse, he rode to 
Philadelphia, where Congress then held its ses- 
sions, a distance of about eight hundred miles. 

Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo- 
cratic party, and Jefferson was his idol. He ad- 
mired Bonaparte, loved France, and hated Eng- 
land. As Mr. Jackson took his seat. Gen. Wash- 
ington, whose second term of office was then 
expiring, delivered his last speech to Congress. 
A committee drew up a complimentary address in 
reply. Andrew Jackson did not approve of the 
address, and was one of the twelve who voted 
against it. He was not willing to say that Gen. 
Washington's administration had been "wise, 
firm and patriotic." 

Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 
Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and retumed 
home. Soon after he was chosen Judge of the 
Supreme Court of his State, which position he 
held for six years. 

When the War of 18 12 with Great Britain com- 
menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair. 
Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there 
was an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jack- 
son, who would do credit to a commission if one 
were conferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. 
Jackson offered his services and those of twenty- 
five hundred volunteers. His offer was accepted, 
and the troops were assembled at Nashville. 

As the Briti.sh were hourly expected to make 
an attack upon New Orleans, where Gen. Wil- 
kinson was in command, he was ordered to de- 



44 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



scent! the river with fiiteen hundred troops to aid 
Wilkinson. The expedition reached Natchez, 
and after a delay of several weeks there without 
accomplishing anything, the men were ordered 
back to their homes. But the energy Gen. Jack- 
son had displayed, and his entire devotion to the 
comfort of his soldiers, won for him golden opin- 
ions, and he became the most popular man in the 
State. It was in this expedition that his tough- 
ness gave him the nickname of "Old Hickory." 

Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip 
Col. Thomas Benton for a remark that gentleman 
made about his taking part as second in a duel 
in which a younger brother of Benton's was en- 
gaged, he received two severe pistol wounds. 
While he was lingering upon a bed of suffering, 
news came that the Indians, who had combined 
under Tecumseh from Florida to the Lakes to ex- 
terminate the white settlers, were committing the 
most awful ravages. Decisive action became nec- 
essary. Gen. Jackson, with his fractured bone 
just beginning to heal, his arm in a sling, and 
unable to mount his horse without assistance, 
gave his amazing energies to the raising of an 
army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Ala. 

The Creek Indians had established a strong 
fort on one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, 
near the center of Alabama, about fifty miles be- 
low Ft. Strother. With an army of two thousand 
men. Gen. Jackson traversed the pathless wilder- 
ness in a march of eleven days. He reached their 
fort, called Tohopeka or Horse-shoe, on the 27th 
of March, 1814. The bend of the river enclosed 
nearly one hundred acres of tangled forest and 
wild ravine. Across the narrow neck the Indians 
had constructed a formidable breastwork of logs 
and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, with 
an ample supply of arms, were assembled. 

The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly 
desperate. Not an Indian would accept quarter. 
When bleeding and dying, they would fight those 
who endeavored to spare their lives. From ten 
in the morning until dark the battle raged. The 
carnage was awful and revolting. Some threw 
themselves into the river; but the unerring bul- 
lets struck their heads as thev swam. Nearly 
every one of the nine hundred warriors was 



killed. A few, probably, in the night swam 
the river and escaped. This ended the war 

This closing of the Creek War enabled us to 
concentrate all our militia upon the British, who 
were the allies of the Indians. No man of less 
resolute will than Gen. Jackson could have con- 
ducted this Indian campaign to so successful an 
issue. Immediately he was appointed Major- 
General. 

Late in August, with an army of two thousand 
men on a rushing march. Gen. Jackson went to 
Mobile. A British fleet went from Pensacola, 
landed a force upon the beach, anchored near the 
little fort, and from both ship and shore com- 
menced a furious assault. The battle was long 
and doubtful. At length one of the ships was 
blown up and the rest retired. 

Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his 
little army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, 
and the battle of New Orleans, which soon ensued, 
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This 
won for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. 
Here his troops, which numbered about four 
thousand men, won a signal victory over the 
British army of about nine thousand. His loss 
was but thirteen, while the loss of the British was 
twenty-six hundred. 

The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be 
mentioned in connection with the Presidency, 
but in 1824 he was defeated by Mr. Adams. 
He was, however, successful in the election of 
1828, and was re-elected for a second term in 
1832. In 1829, just before he assumed the reins 
of government, he met with the most terrible 
affliction of his life in the death of his wife, whom 
he had loved with a devotion which has perhaps 
never been surpassed. From the shock of her 
death he never recovered. 

His administration was one of the most mem- 
orable in the annals of our country — applauded 
by one party, condemned by the other. No man 
had more bitter enemies or warmer friends. At 
the expiration of his two terms of office he retired 
to the Hermitage, where he died June 8, 1845. The 
la.st years of Mr. Jackson's life were those of a de- 
voted Christian man. 




MARTIN VAN BLREN. 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



y^ ARTTN VAN BUREN, the eighth Iresi- 
y dent of the United States, was born at Kin- 
(S derhook, N. V., December 5, 1782. He 
died at the same place, July 24, 1862. His body 
rests in the cemetery- at Kinderhook. Above it is 
a plain granite shaft, fifteen feet high, bearing a 
simple inscription about half-way up on one face. 
The lot is unfenced, unbordered or unbounded 
by shrub or flower. 

There is but little in the life of Martin Van 
Buren of romantic interest. He fought no battles, 
engaged in no wild adventures. Though his life 
was stormy in political and intellectual conflicts, 
and he gained many signal victories, his days 
passed uneventful in those incidents which give 
zest to biography. His ancestors, as his name indi- 
cates, were of Dutch origin, and were among the 
earliest emigrants from Holland to the banks of 
the Hudson. His father was a farmer, residing 
in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother, also 
of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- 
ligence and exemplary piety. 

He was decidedly a precocious boy, developing 
unusual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At 
the age of fourteen, he had finished his academic 
studies in his native village, and commenced the 
study of law. As he had not a collegiate educa- 
tion, seven years of studj- in a law-office were re- 
quired of him before he could be admitted to the 
Bar. Inspired with a lofty ambition, and con- 
scious of his powers, he pursued his studies with 
indefatigable industry-. After spending sixyears_ 
in an office in his native village, he went to the city 
of New York, and pro.secuted his studies for the 
seventh year. 

In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty -one years 



of age, commenced the practice of law in his na 
tive village. The great conflict between the Federal 
and Republican parties was then at its height. 
Mr. Van Buren was from the beginning a politi- 
cian. He had, perhaps, imbibed that spirit while 
listening to the many discussions which had been 
carried on in his father's hotel. He was in cordial 
sympathy with Jefferson, and earnestly and elo- 
quently espoused the cause of State Rights, though 
at that time the Federal party held the supremacy 
both in his town and State. 

His success and increa.sing reputation led him 
after six years of practice to remove to Hudson, 
the county seat of his county. Here he spent 
seven years, constantly gaining strength by con- 
tending in the courts with some of the ablest men 
who have adorned the Bar of his State. 

Ju.st before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mr. 
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
years she sank into the grave, a victim of con- 
sumption, leaving her husband and four sons to 
weep over her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. 
Van Buren was an earne.st, successful, assiduous 
lawyer. The record of those years is barren in 
items of public interest. In 1812, when thirty 
years of age, he was chosen to the State Senate, 
and gave his .strenuous support to Mr. Madison's 
administration. In 1815, he was appointed At- 
torney-General, and the next 3'ear moved to Al- 
bany, the capital of the State. 

While he was acknowledged as one of the most 
prominent leaders of the Democratic part\-, he had 
the moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
not require that "universal suffrage' ' which admits 
the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right 



48 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



of governing the State. In true consistency with 
his democratic principles, he contended that, while 
the path leading to the privilege of voting should 
be open to every man without distinction, no one 
should be invested with that sacred prerogative 
unless he were in some degree qualified for it b>- 
intelligence, virtue, and some property interests in 
the welfare of the State. 

In 1S21 he was elected a member of the United 
States Senate, and in the same year he took a 
seat in the convention to revise the Constitution of 
his native State. His course in this convention 
secured the approval of men of all parties. No 
one could doubt the singleness of his endeavors to 
promote the interests of all classes in the com- 
munity. In the Senate of the United States, he 
rose at once to a conspicuous position as an active 
and useful legislator. 

In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the 
Presidential chair, Mr. \'an Buren was re-elected 
to the Senate. He had been from the beginning 
a determined opposer of the administration, adopt- 
ing the ' 'State Rights' ' view in opposition to what 
was deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams. 

Soon after this, in i S28, he was chosen Governor 
of the State of New York, and accordingly resigned 
his seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the 
United States contributed so much towards eject- 
ing John Q. Adams from the Presidential chair, 
and placing in it Andrew Jackson, as did Martin 
Van Buren. Whether entitled to the reputation 
or not, he certainly was regarded throughout the 
United States as one of the most skillful, .sagacious 
and cunning of politicians. It was supposed that 
no one knew so well as he how to touch the secret 
springs of action, how to pull all the wires to 
put his machinery in motion, and how to organize 
a political army which would secretly and stealth- 
ily accomplish the most gigantic results. By these 
powers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams, Mr. 
Clay, and Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
ew then thought could be accomplished. 

When Andrew Jackson was elected President 
he appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretan,- of State. 
This position he resigned in 1831, and was im- 
mediately appointed Minister to England, where 
he went the same autumn. The Senate, however. 



when it met, refused to ratify the nomination, and 
he returned home, apparently untroubled. Later 
he was nominated Vice-President in the place of 
Calhoun, at the re-election of President Jackson, 
and with smiles for all and frowns for none, he 
took his place at the head of that Senate which had 
refused to confirm his nomination as ambassador. 

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal 
of President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated 
favorite; and this, probably, more than any other 
cause secured his elevation to the chair of the 
Chief Executive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. 
Van Buren received the Democratic nomination 
to succeed Gen. Jackson as President of the United 
States. He was elected by a handsome majority, 
to the delight of the retiring President. ' 'Leaving 
New York out of the canvass," saj's Mr. Parton, 
"the election of Mr. Van Buren to the Presidency 
was as much the act of Gen. Jackson as though 
the Constitution had conferred upon him the power 
to appoint a successor. ' ' 

His administration was filled ■mth exciting 
events. The insurrection in Canada, which 
threatened to involve this country in war with 
England, the agitation of the slavery question, 
and finally the great commercial panic which 
spread over the country, all were trials of his wis- 
dom. The financial distress was attributed to 
the management of the Democratic party, and 
brought the President into such disfavor that he 
failed of re-election, and on the 4th of March, 
1 84 1, he retired from the presidency. 

With the exception of being nominated for the 
Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats in 1848, 
Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until 
his death. He had ever been a prudent man, of 
frugal habits, and, living within his income, had 
now fortunately a competence for his declining 
years. From his fine estate at Lindenwald, he 
still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics 
of the countr>-. From this time until his death, 
on the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty 
years, he resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of 
leisure, of culture and wealth, enjoying in a 
healthy old age probably far more happiness than 
he had before experienced amid the stormy scenes 
of his active life. 




WIIJJAM H. HARRISON. 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



PQlLIvIAM HENRY HARRISON, the ninth 
\A/ President of the United States, was born 
Y Y at Berkeley, Ya., February 9, 1773. His 
father, Benjamin Harrison, was in comparatively 
opulent circumstances, and was one of the most 
distinguished men of his daj-. He was an inti- 
mate friend of George Washington, was earlj' 
elected a member of the Continental Congress, 
and was conspicuous among the patriots of Vir- 
ginia in resisting the encroachments of the British 
crown. In the celebrated Congress of 1775, Ben- 
jamin Harrison and John Hancock were both 
candidates for the office of Speaker. 

Mr. Harrison was subsequently chosen Gov- 
ernor of Virginia, and was twice re-elected. His 
son William Henry, of course, enjoyed in child- 
hood all the advantages which wealth and intel- 
lectual and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
ing received a thorough common-school educa- 
tion, he entered Hampden Sidney College, where 
he graduated with honor .soon after the death of 
his father. He then repaired to Philadelphia to 
Btud}- medicine under the instructions of Dr. Ru.sh 
and the guardian.ship of Robert Morris, both of 
whom were, with his father, signers of the Dec- 
laration of Independence. 

Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and 
notwithstanding the remonstrances of his friends, 
he abandoned his medical .studies and entered the 
arm)-, having obtained a commission as Ensign 
from President Washington. He was then but 
nineteen years old. From that time he passed 
gradually upward in rank until he became aide 
to Gen. Wayne, after whose death he resigned 
his commission. He was then appointed Secre- 
tary of the Northwestern Territory. This Terri- 
tor>- was then entitled to but one member in Con- 



gress, and Harrison was chosen to fill that position. 
In the spring of 1800 the Northwestern Terri- 
tory was di\-ided by Congress into two portions. 
The eastern portion, comprising the region now 
embraced in the State of Ohio, was called "The 
Territory northwest of the Ohio. ' ' The western 
portion, which included what is now called Indi- 
ana, Illinois and Wisconsin, was called "the Indi- 
ana Territory." William Henry Harrison, then 
twenty -seven years of age, was appointed by John 
Adams Governor of the Indiana Territory, and 
immediately after also Governor of Upper Eoui- 
siana. He was thus ruler over almost as exten- 
sive a realm as any .sovereign upon the globe. 
He was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and 
was invested with powers nearly dictatorial over 
the then rapidly increasing white population. The 
ability and fidelity with which he discharged 
these responsible duties may be inferred from the 
fact that he was four times appointed to this 
office — first by John Adams, twice by Thomas 
Jefferson, and afterwards by President Madison. 

When he began his administration there were 
but three white settlements in that almost bound- 
less region, now crowded with cities and resound- 
ing with all the tumult of wealth and traffic. 
One of these settlements was on the Ohio, nearly 
opposite Louisville; one at Vincennes, on the 
Wabash; and the third was a French settlement. 

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison 
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. 
About the year 1806, two extraordinary men, 
twin brothers of the Shawnee tribe, rose among 
them. One of these was called Tecumseh, or 
" the Crouching Panther;" the other Olliwa- 
checa, or "the Prophet." Tecumseh was not 
only an Indian warrior, but a man of great sagac- 



52 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



ity, far-reaching foresight and indomitable perse- 
verance in anj- enterprise in which he might en- 
gage. His brother, the Prophet, was an orator, 
who could sway the feelings of the untutored In- 
dians as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath 
which they dwelt. With an enthusiasm unsur- 
passed by Peter the Hermit rousing Europe to the 
crusades, he went from tribe to tribe, assuming 
that he was specially sent by the Great Spirit. 

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to con- 
ciliate the Indians, but at last war came, and at 
Tippecanoe the Indians were routed with great 
slaughter. October 28, 1812, his army began its 
march. When near the Prophet's town, three 
Indians of rank made their appearance and in- 
quired why Gov. Harrison was approaching them 
in so hostile an attitude. After a short confer- 
ence, arrangements were made for a meeting the 
next day to agree upon terms of peace. 

But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted 
with the Indian character to be deceived by such 
protestations. Selecting a favorable spot for his 
night's encampment, he took every precaution 
against surprise. His troops were posted in a 
hollow .square and slept upon their arms. The 
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock 
in the morning, had risen, and was sitting 
in conversation with his aides bj' the embers 
of a waning fire. It was a chill, cloudy morning, 
with a drizzling rain. In the darkness, the In- 
dians had crept as near as possible, and just then, 
with a savage j-ell, rushed, with all the despera- 
tion which superstition and passion most highly 
inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the 
little army. The savages had been amply pro- 
vided with guns and amnuinition bj- the English, 
and their war-whoop was accompanied by a 
shower of bullets. 

The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as 
the light aided the Indians in their aim, and 
Gen. Harrison's troops stood as immovable as 
the rocks around them until day dawned, when 
they made a simultaneous charge with the bayo- 
net and swept everything before them, completel}- 
routing the foe. 

Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked 
to the utmo.st. The British, descending from the 



Canadas, were of themselves a verj' formidable 
force, but with their savage allies rushing like 
wolves from the forest, burning, plundering, scalp- 
ing torturing, the wide frontier was plunged into 
a state of consternation which even the most vivid 
imagination can but faintly conceive. Gen. Hull 
had made an ignominious surrender of his forces at 
Detroit. Under these despairing circumstances. 
Gov. Harrison was appointed by President Madi- 
son Commander-in-Chief of the Northwestern 
Army, with orders to retake Detroit and to protect 
the frontiers. It would be difficult to place a man 
in a situation demanding more energy, sagacity 
and courage, but he was found equal to the 
position, and nobly and triumphantly did he meet 
all the responsibilities. 

In 18 16, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member 
of the National House of Representatives, to rep- 
resent the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved 
an active member, and whenever he spoke it was 
with a force of reason and power of eloquence 
which arrested the attention of all the members. 

In 18 19, Harrison was elected to the Senate of 
Ohio, and in 1824, as one of the Presidential Elec- 
tors of that State, he gave his vote for Henry 
Claj'. The same year he was chosen to the Uni- 
ted States Senate. In 1836 his friends brought 
him for\vard as a candidate for the Presidency 
against Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the 
close of Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nom- 
inated by his party, and Mr. Harrison was unani- 
mously nominated b}- the Whigs, with John T>'ler 
for the Vice-Presidency. The contest was very 
animated. Gen. Jack.son gave all his influence to 
prevent Harri-son's election, but his triumph was 
signal. 

The cabinet which he fonned, with Daniel Web- 
ster at its head as Secretary of State, was one of 
the most brilliant with which any President had 
ever been surrounded. Never were the prospects 
of an administration more flattering, or the hopes 
of the country more sanguine. In the midst of 
these bright and joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison 
was seized by a pleurisj-'fever, and after a few 
days of violent sickness died, on the 4th of April, 
just one month after his inauguration as President 
of the United States. 





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JOHN TVLKR. 



JOHN TYLER. 



(John TYLER, the tenth President of the 
I United States, and was born in Charles 
(2/ City County, Ya., March 29, 1790. He was 
the favored child of affluence and high social po- 
sition. At the early age of twelve, John entered 
William and Mary College, and graduated with 
much honor when but seventeen years old. After 
graduating, he devoted himself with great assi- 
duity to the study of law, partlj' with his father 
and partly with Edmund Randolph, one of the 
most distinguished lawyers of Yirginia. 

At nineteen years of age, he commenced the 
practice of law. His success was rapid and as- 
tonishing. It is said that three mouths had not 
elapsed ere there was scarcely a case on the 
docket of the court in which he was not retained. 
When but twenty-one years of age, he was almost 
unanimously elected to a seat in the State Legis- 
lature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures 
of Jefferson and Madison. For five successive 
5'ears he was elected to the Legislature, receiving 
nearly the unanimous vote of his countj'. 

When but twent3-six years of age, he was 
elected a ]\Iember of Congress. Here he acted ear- 
nestly andabl}' with the Democratic part}', oppos- 
ing a national bank, internal improvements by 
the General Government, and a protective tariff"; 
advocating a strict construction of the Constitu- 
tion and the most careful vigilance over State 
rights. His labors in Congress were so arduous 
that before the close of his second term he found 
it necessar>' to resign and retire to his estate in 
Charles City County to recruit his health. He, 
however, soon after consented to take his seat in 
the State Legislature, where his influence was 
powerful in promoting public works of great 
utility. With a reputation thus constantly in- 
crea.sing, he was chosen by a very large majority 
of votes Governor of his native State. His ad- 
ministration was a signally successful one, and his 
popularity secured his re-election. 



John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed 
man, then represented Yirginia in the Senate of 
the United States. A portion of the Democratic 
party was displeased with Mr. Randolph's way- 
ward course, and brought forward John Tyler as 
his opponent, considering him the only man in 
Yirginia of suflicient popularity to succeed 
against the renowned orator of Roanoke. Mr. 
Tjler was the victor. 

In accordance with his professions, upon tak- 
ing his seat in the Senate he joined the ranks of 
the opposition. He opposed the tariff", and spoke 
against and voted against the bank as unconsti- 
tutional; he strenuously opposed all restrictions 
upon slavery, resisting all projects of internal im- 
provements oy the General Government, and 
avovv^ed his sympathy with Mr. Calhoun's view 
of nullification; he declared that Gen. Jackson, 
by his opposition to the nullifiers, had abandoned 
the principles of the Democratic party. Such 
was Mr. Tjder's record in Congress — a record in 
perfect accordance with the principles which he 
had always avowed. 

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice 
of his profession. There was a split in the Demo- 
cratic party. His friends still regarded him as a 
true Jeff"ersonian, gave him a dinner, and show- 
ered compliments upon him. He had now at- 
tained the age of forty-six, and his career had been 
very brilliant. In consequence of his devotion to 
public business, his private aff"airs had fallen into 
some disorder, and it was not without satisfac- 
tion that he resumed the practice of law, and de- 
voted himself to the cultivation of his plantation. 
Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg, for 
the better education of his children, and he again 
took his seat in the Legislature of Virginia. 

By the southern Whigs he was sent to the 
national convention at Ilarrisburg in 1 839 to nom- 
inate a President. The majority of votes were 
given to Gen Harrison, a genuine Whig, much 
to the disappointment of the South, which wished 



56 



JOHN TYLER. 



for Henry Clay. To conciliate the southern 
Whigs and to secure their vote, the convention 
then nominated John Tyler for Vice-President. 
It was well known that he was not in sympathy 
with the Whig party in the North; but the Vice- 
President has very little power in the Govern- 
ment, his main and almost only duty being to 
preside over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it 
happened that a Whig President and, in reality, 
a Democratic Vice-President were chosen. 

In 1 84 1, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice- 
President of the United States. In one short 
month from that time, President Harrison died, 
and Mr. Tyler thus found himself, to his own 
surprise and that of the whole nation, an occu- 
pant of the Presidential chair. Hastening from 
Williamsburg to Washington, on the 6th of 
April he was inaugurated to the high and re- 
sponsible office. He was placed in a position of 
exceeding delicacy and difficulty. All his long 
life he had been opposed to the main principles of 
the party which had brought him into power. 
He had ever been a consistent, honest man, with 
an unblemished record. Gen. Harrison had se- 
lected a Whig cabinet. Should he retain them, 
and thus surround himself with counselors whose 
views were antagonistic to his own ? or, on the 
other hand, should he turn against the party 
which had elected him, and .select a cabinet in 
iiarmony with himself, and which would oppose 
all those views which the Whigs deemed essen- 
tial to the public welfare ? This was his fearful 
dilemma. He invited the cabinet which Presi- 
dent Harrison had selected to retain their seats, 
and recommended a day of fasting and prayer, 
that God would guide and bless us. 

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for 
the incorporation of a fiscal bank of the United 
States. The President, after ten days' delay, re- 
turned it with his veto. He suggested, however, 
that he would approve of a bill drawn up upon 
such a plan as he proposed. Such a bill was ac- 
cordingly prepared, and privately submitted to 
him. He gave it his approval. It was passed 
without alteration, and he sent it back with his 
veto. Here commenced the open rupture. It is 
said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas- 



ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M. 
Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who se- 
verely touched the pride of the President. 

The opposition now exultingly received the 
President into their arms. The partj' which 
elected him denounced him bitterly. All the 
members of his cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, 
resigned. The Whigs of Congress, both the 
Senate and the House, held a meeting and issued 
an addre.ss to the people of the United States, 
proclaiming that all political alliance between the 
Whigs and President Tyler was at an end. 

Still the President attempted to conciliate. He 
appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs 
and Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong 
party men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary 
to resign, forced out bj' the pressure of his Whig 
friends. Thus the four j-ears of Mr. Tyler's un- 
fortunate administration passed sadly awaj-. No 
one was .satisfied. The land was filled with mur- 
murs and \'ituperation. Whigs and Democrats 
alike assailed him. More and more, however, he 
brought himself into sympathy with his old 
friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his 
term he gave his whole influence to the support 
of Mr. Polk, the Democratic candidate for his 
successor. 

On the 4th of March, 1845, President Tyler re- 
tired from the harassments of office, to the regret 
of neither part\', and probably to his own unspeak- 
able relief The remainder of his days were 
passed mainly in the retirement of his beautiful 
home — Sherwood Forest, Charles City County, 
Va. His first wife, Miss L,etitia Christian, died 
in Washington in 1842; and in June, 1S44, 
he was again married, at New York, to Miss Julia 
Gardiner, a young lady of many personal and 
intellectual accomplishments. 

When the great Rebellion rose, which the 
State Rights and nullifying doctrines of John C. 
Calhoun had inaugurated, President Tyler re- 
nounced his allegiance to the United States, and 
joined the Confederates. He was chosen a mem- 
ber of their Congress, and while engaged in 
active measures to destroy, by force of arms, the 
Government over which he had once presided, he 
was taken sick and soon died. 




JAMES K. I'OLK. 



JAMES K. POLK. 



3 AMES K. POLK, the eleventh President of 
the United States, was born in Mecklenburgh 
Count}-, N. C. , November 2, 1795. His 
parents were Samuel and Jane (Knox) Polk, the 
fonner a son of Col. Thomas Polk, who located 
at the above place, as one of the first pioneers, in 
1735. In 1806, with his wife and children, and 
soon after followed by most of the members of the 
Polk famih-, Samuel Polk emigrated some two or 
three hundred miles farther west, to the rich val- 
ley of the Duck River. Here, in the midst of the 
wilderness, in a region which was subsequently 
called Maury County, they erected their log huts 
and established their homes. In the hard toil of 
a new fann in the wilderness, James K. Polk 
spent the early j^ears of his childhood and youth. 
His father, adding the pursuit of a surveyor to 
that of a farmer, gradually increased in wealth, 
until he became one of the leading men of the 
region. His mother was a superior woman, of 
strong common sense and earnest piety. 

Verj- earl)- in life James developed a taste for 
reading, and expressed the strongest desire to ob- 
tain a liberal education. His mother's training 
had made him methodical in his habits, had taught 
him punctuality and industry, and had inspired 
him with lofty principles of morality. His health 
was frail, and his father, fearing that he might not 
be able to endure a sedentarj' life, got a situation 
for him behind the counter, hoping to fit him for 
commercial pursuits. 

This was to James a bitter disappointment. He 
had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks 
were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this 
uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when, 
at his earnest solicitation, his father removed 
him and made arrangements for him to pros- 
ecute his studies. Soon after he sent him to Mur- 
freesboro Academy. With ardor which could 
scarcely be surpassed, he pressed forward in his 



-studies, and in less than two and a-half years, in 
the autumn of 18 15, entered the sophomore class 
in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel 
Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplar}- of 
scholars, punctual in everj' exercise, never allow- 
ing himself to be absent from a recitation or a 
religious .service. 

Mr. Polk graduated in 1818, with the highest 
honors, being deemed the best scholar of his class, 
both in mathematics and the classics. He was 
then twenty-three years of age. His health was 
at this time much impaired by the assiduit}^ with 
which he had prosecuted his studies. After a 
short season of relaxation, he went to Nashville, 
and entered the office of Felix Grundy, to .studj^ 
law. Here Mr. Polk renewed his acquaintance 
with Andrew Jackson, who resided on his planta- 
tion, the "Hermitage," but a few miles from 
Nashville. They had probabl)- been slightly ac- 
quainted before. 

Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican 
and James K. adhered to the same political faith. 
He was a popular public speaker, and was con- 
stantly called upon to address the meetings of his 
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such 
that he was popularly called the Napoleon of the 
stump. He was a man of unblemished morals, 
genial and courteous in his bearing, and with that 
sj'mpathetic nature in the joys and griefs of oth- 
ers which gave him hosts of friends. In 1823, 
he was elected to the Legislature of Teiuiessee, 
and gave his strong influence toward the election 
of his friend, Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of 
the llnited States. 

In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah 
Childress, of Rutherford County, Tenn. His 
bride was altogether worthy of him — a lady of 
beauty and culture. In the fall of 1825 Mr. Polk 
was chosen a member of Congress, and the .satis- 
faction he gave his constituents may be inferred 



6o 



JAMES K. POLK. 



from the fact, that for fourteen successi\-e years, 
or until 1839, he was couthiued in that office. He 
then voluntarily withdrew, only that he might 
accept the Gubernatorial chair of Tennessee. In 
Congress he was a laborious member, a frequent 
and a popular speaker. He was always in his 
seat, always courteous, and whene\'er he spoke 
it was always to the point, without any ambitious 
rhetorical display. 

During five sessions of Congress Mr. Polk was 
Speaker of the House. Strong passions were 
roused and stormj' scenes were witnessed, but he 
performed his arduous duties to a verj- general 
satisfaction, and a unanimous vote of thanks to 
him was passed by the House as he withdrew on 
the 4th of March, 1839. 

In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, 
as a candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. 
He was elected by a large majority, and on Octo- 
ber 14, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. 
In 1 841 his term of office expired, and he was 
again the candidate of the Democratic party, but 
was defeated. 

On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was in- 
augurated President of the United States. The 
verdict of the countr>' in favor of the annexation 
of Texas exerted its influence upon Congress, 
and the last act of the administration of President 
Tyler was to affix his signature to a joint resolu- 
tion of Congress, passed on the 3d of March, ap- 
proving of the annexation of Texas to the Union. 
As Mexico still claimed Texas as one of her 
provinces, the Mexican Minister, Almonte, im- 
mediately demanded his passports and left the 
countr>', declaring the act of the annexation to be 
an act hostile to Mexico. 

In his first message, President Polk urged that 
Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be 
received into the Union on the same footing with 
the other States. In the mean time, Gen. Ta^-lor 
was sent with an army into Texas to hold the 
country. He was first sent to Nueces, which the 
Mexicans said was the western boundan.- of Tex- 
as. Then he was sent nearly two hundred miles 
further west, to the Rio Grande, where he erected 
batteries which commanded the Mexican city of 
Matamoras, which was situated on the western 



banks. The anticipated collision soon took place, 
and war was declared against Mexico bj- President 
Polk. The war was pushed for^vard by his ad- 
ministration with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, 
whose army was first called one of ' ' obser\-ation, ' ' 
then of "occupation," then of "invasion," was 
sent forward to Monterey. The feeble Mexicans 
in every encounter were hopelessly slaughtered. 
The day of judgment alone can reveal the misery 
which this war caused. It was by the ingenuity 
of Mr. Polk's administration that the war was 
brought on. 

' ' To the victors belong the spoils. ' ' Mexico 
was prostrate before us. Her capital was in our 
hands. We now consented to peace upon the 
condition that Mexico should surrender to us, in 
addition to Texas, all of New Mexico, and all of 
Upper and Lower California. This new demand 
embraced, exclusive of Texas, eight hundred 
thousand square miles. This was an extent of 
territory equal to nine States of the size of New 
York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen ma- 
jestic States to be added to the Union. There 
were some Americans who thought it all right; 
there were others who thought it all wrong. In 
the prosecution of this war we expended twenty 
thousand lives and more than $100,000,000. Of 
this money $15,000,000 were paid to Mexico. 

On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired 
from office, having served one term. The next 
day was Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was 
inaugurated as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to 
the Capitol in the same carriage with Gen. Tay- 
lor, and the same evening, with Mrs. Polk, he 
commenced his return to Temiessee. He was 
then but fifty-four years of age. He had always 
been strictly temperate in all his habits, and his 
health was good. With an ample fortune, a 
choice library', a cultivated mind, and domestic 
ties of the dearest nature, it seemed as though 
long years of tranquillity and happiness were be- 
fore him. But the cholera — that fearful scourge 
— was then sweeping up the Valley of the Mis.sis- 
sippi, and he contracted the disease, dying on the 
15th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth year of his 
age, greatly mourned by his countrj-men. 




ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



^ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth President of 
j. the United States, was born on the 24th of 
/J November, 1784, in Orange Count)-, Va. 
His father, Col. Taylor, was a Virginian of 
note, and a distinguished patriot and soldier of 
the Revolution. When Zacharj- was an infant, 
his father, with his wife and two children, emi- 
grated to Kentuckj-, where he .settled in the path- 
less wilderness, a few miles from Louis\-ille. In 
this frontier home, away from ci\-ilization and all 
its refinements, j-oung Zacharj' could enjoy but 
few social and educational advantages. When 
six years of age he attended a common school, 
and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, 
rather remarkable for bluntness and deci.sion of 
character. He was strong, fearless and self-reli- 
ant, and manifested a strong desire to enter the 
•army to fight the Indians, who were ravaging the 
frontiers. There is little to be recorded of the 
uneventful j-ears of his childhood on his father's 
large but lonely plantation. 

In 1808, his father succeeded in obtaining for 
him a commission as Lieutenant in the United 
States army, and he joined the troops which were 
stationed at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. 
Soon after this he married Miss Margaret Smith, 
a young lady from one of the first families of 
Maryland. 

Immediately after the declaration of war with 
England, in 181 2, Capt. Taylor (for he had then 
been promoted to that rank) was put in command 
of Ft. Harri.son, on the Wabash, about fifty miles 
above Vincennes. This fort had been built in the 
wilderness by Gen. Harrison, on his march to 
Tippecanoe. It was one of the first points of at- 
tack by the Indians, led by Tecumseh. Its garri- 
son consisted of a broken company of infantry, 
numbering fifty men, many of whom were sick. 

Early in the autumn of 181 2, the Indians, 
stealthily, and in large numbers, moved upon the 



fort. Their approach was first indicated by ..he 
murder of two soldiers just outside of the stockade. 
Capt. Taylor made every possible preparation to 
meet the anticipated assault. On the 4th of Sep- 
tember, a band of forty painted and plumed sav- 
ages came to the fort, waving a white flag, and 
informed Capt. Taylor that in the morning their 
chief would come to have a talk with him. It 
was evident that their object was merely to ascer- 
tain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, 
kept them at a distance. 

The sun went down; the savages disappeared; 
the garrison slept upon their arms. One hour 
before midnight the war-whoop burst from a 
thousand lips in the forest around, followed by 
the discharge of musketry and the rush of the 
foe. Every man, sick and well, sprang to hir^ 
post. Every man knew that defeat was not 
merelj^ death, but, in the case of capture, death by 
the most agonizing and prolonged torture. No 
pen can de.scribe, no imagination can conceive, the 
scenes which ensued. The savages succeeded in 
settmg fire to one of the block-houses. Until six 
o'clock in the morning this awful conflict con- 
tinued, when the savages, baffled at everj' point 
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. 
Capt. Taylor, for this gallant defense, was pro- 
moted to the rank of Major by brevet. 

Until the close of the war, Maj. Taylor was 
placed in such situations that he saw but little 
more of active .service. He was sent far away 
into the depths of the wilderness to Ft. Craw- 
ford, on Fox River, which empties into Green 
Bay. Here there was little to be done but to 
wear awa)' the tedious hours as one best could. 
There were no books, no society-, uo intellectual 
stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful years 
rolled on. Gradually he rose to the rank of 
Colonel. In the Black Hawk War, which re- 



64 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



suited in the capture of that renowned chieftain, 
Col. Taylor took a subordinate, but a brave and 
efficient, part. 

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged 
in the defense of the frontiers, in scenes so re- 
mote, and in emplojments so obscure, that his 
name was unknown beyond the limits of his own 
immediate acquaintance. In the j-ear 1836, he 
was sent to Florida to compel the Seminole Indi- 
ans to vacate that region, and retire beyond the 
Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty had prom- 
ised they should do. The services rendered here 
secured for Col. Tajlor the high appreciation of 
the Government, and as a reward he was ele- 
vated to the high rank of Brigadier-General by 
brevet, and soon after, in May, 1838, was ap- 
pointed to the chief command of the United 
States troops in Florida. 

After two years of wearisome employment 
amidst the everglades of the Peninsula, Gen. Tay- 
lor obtained, at his own request, a change of 
command, and was stationed over the Department 
of the Southwest. This field embraced Louisiana, 
Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Establishing 
his headquarters at Ft. Jessup, in Louisiana, he 
removed his family to a plantation which he pur- 
chased near Baton Rouge. Here he remained 
for five years, buried, as it were, from the world, 
but faithfully discharging even,- duty imposed 
upon him. 

In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the 
land between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the 
latter river being the boundary of Te.xas, which 
was then claimed by the United States. Soon 
the war with Mexico was brought on, and at Palo 
Alto and Resaca de la Palma, Gen. Taylor won 
brilliant victories over the Mexicans. The rank 
of Major-General by brevet was then conferred 
upon Gen. Taylor, and his name was received 
with enthusiasm almost everywhere in the na- 
tion. Then came the battles of Monterey and 
Buena Vista, in which he won signal victories 
over forces much larger than he commanded. 

The tidings of the brilliant victorj- of Buena 
Vista spread the wildest enthusiasm over the 
country. The name of Gen. Taylor was on 
every one's lips. The Whig party decided to 



take advantage of this wonderful popularity in 
bringing forward the unpolished, unlettered, hon- 
est soldier as their candidate for the Presidency. 
Gen. Taylor was astonished at the announce- 
ment, and for a time would not listen to it, de- 
claring that he was not at all qualified for such 
an office. So little interest had he taken in poli- 
tics, that for forty years he had not cast a vote. 
It was not without chagrin that several distin- 
guished statesmen, who had been long years in 
the public ser\uce, found their claims set aside in 
behalf of one whose name had never been heard 
of, save in connection with Palo Alto, Resaca de 
la Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista. It is said 
that Daniel Webster, in his haste, remarked, " It 
is a nomination not fit to be made." 

Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a 
fine writer. His friends took possession of him, 
and prepared such few communications as it was 
needful should be presented to the public. The 
popularity of the successful warrior swept the 
laud. He was triumphantly elected over two 
opposing candidates, — Gen. Cass and Ex-Presi- 
dent Martin Van Buren. Though he selected an 
excellent cabinet, the good old man found himself 
in a very uncongenial position, and was at times 
sorely perplexed and hara.ssed. His mental suf- 
ferings were very severe, and probabl}- tended to 
hasten his death. The pro-slaverj' party was 
pushing its claims with tireless energy; expedi- 
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba; California 
was pleading for admission to the Union, while 
slavery stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. 
Taj'lor found the political conflicts in Washington 
to be far more trying to the nerves than battles 
with Mexicans or Indians. 

In the mid.st of all these troubles. Gen. Taylor, 
after he had occupied the Presidential chair but 
little over a year, took cold, and after a brief 
sickness of but little over five days, died, on the 
9th of July, 1850. His last words were, "I am 
not afraid to die. I am ready. I have endeav- 
ored to do my duty." He died universally re- 
spected and beloved. An honest, unpretending 
man, he had been steadily growing in the affec- 
tions of the people, and the Nation bitterlj- la- 
mented his death. 




MILLARD KILLM<)RK 



MILLARD FILLMORE. 



\A ILLARD FILLMORE, thirteenth President 
y of the United States, was born at Summer 
y Hill, Cayuga County, N. Y., on the 7th of 
Januarj', 1800. His father was a farmer, and, ovvnig 
to misfortune, in humble circumstances. Of his 
mother, the daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, of 
Pittsfield, Mass., it has been said that she pos- 
sessed an intellect of a high order, united with 
much personal loveliness, sweetness of disposi- 
tion, graceful manners and exquisite sensibilities. 
She died in 1831, having lived to see her son a 
young man of distinguished promise, though she 
was not permitted to witness the high dignity 
which he finally attained. 

l!i consequence of the secluded home and limited 
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender 
advantages for education in his early jears. The 
common schools, which he occasionally attended, 
were very imperfect institutions, and books were 
scarce and expensive. There was nothing then 
in his character to indicate the brilliant career 
upon which he was about to enter. He was a 
plain farmer's boy — intelligent, good-looking, 
kind-hearted. The sacred iufluences of home 
had taught him to revere the Bible, and had laid 
the foundations of an upright character. When 
fourteen years of age, his father .sent him some 
hundred miles from home to the then wilds of 
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. 
Near the mill there was a small village, where 
some enterprising man had commenced the col- 
lection of a village library. This proved an in- 
estimable blessing to young Fillmore. His even- 
ings were spent in reading. Soon every leisure 
moment was occupied with books. His thirst for 
knowledge became insatiate, and the selections 
which he made were continually more elevating 
and instructive. He read historj-, biography, 
orator}', and thus gradually there was enkindled 



in his heart a desire to be something more than a 
mere worker with his hands. 

The young clothier had now attained the age 
of nineteen years, and was of fine personal appear- 
ance and of gentlemanl}- demeanor. It so hap- 
pened that there was a gentleman in the neigh- 
borhood of ample pecuniary- means and of benev- 
olence, — ^Judge Walter Wood, — who was struck 
with the preposses.sing appearance of young Fill- 
more. He made his acquaintance, and was so 
much impressed with his ability and attainments 
that he advised him to abandon his trade and de- 
vote himself to the study of the law. The young 
man replied that he had no means of his own, 
no friends to help him, and that his previous edu- 
cation had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood 
had so much confidence in him that he kindly 
offered to take him into his own office, and to 
lend him such money as he needed. Most grate- 
fully the generous offer was accepted. 

There is in many minds a strange delusion 
about a collegiate education. A young man is 
supposed to be liberally educated if he has gradu- 
ated at some college. But man)- a boy who loi- 
ters through university halls and then enters a 
law office is bj' no means as well prepared to 
prosecute his legal .studies as was Millard Fill- 
more when he graduated at the clothing-mill at 
the end of four years of manual labor, during 
which every leisure moment had been devoted to 
intense mental culture. 

In 1823, when twenty-three years of age, he 
was admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. 
He then went to the village of Aurora, and com- 
menced the practice of law. In this secluded, 
quiet region, his practice, of course, was limited, 
and there was no opportunity for a sudden rise in 
fortune or in fame. Here, in 1S26, he married a 
lady of great moral worth, and one capable of 



68 



MILLARD FILLMORE. 



adorning any station she might be called to fill, — 
Miss Abigail Powers. 

His elevation of character, his untiring industry, 
his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advo- 
cate, graduall.v attracted attention, and he was 
invited to enter into partnership, under highlj- ad- 
vantageous circumstances, with an elder member 
of the Bar in Buffalo. Just before removing to 
Buffalo, in 1829, he took his seat in the House of 
Assembly of the vState of New York, as a Repre- 
sentative from Erie County. Though he had 
never taken a ver>' active part in pohtics, his vote 
and sympathies were with the Whig party. The 
State was then Democratic, and he found himself 
in a helpless minority in the Legislature; still the 
testimony comes from all parties that his courtesy, 
ability and integrity won, to a verj- unusual de- 
gree, the respect of his associates. 

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a 
seat in the United States Congress. He entered 
that troubled arena in the most tumultuous hours 
of our national historj-, when the great conflict 
respecting the national bank and the removal of 
the deposits was raging. 

His term of two years closed, and he returned 
to his profession, which he pursued with increas- 
ing reputation and success. After a lapse of two 
years he again became a candidate for Congress; 
was re-elected, and took his seat in 1837. His 
past experience as a Representative gave him 
strength and confidence. The first term of service 
in Congress to any man can be but little more 
than an introduction. He was now prepared for 
active duty. All his energies were brought to 
bear upon the public good. Ever}- measure re- 
ceived his impress. 

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, 
and his popularity filled the State. In the year 
1847, when he had attained the age of forty- 
seven years, he was elected Comptroller of the 
State. His labors at the Bar, in the Legisla- 
ture, in Congress and as Comptroller, had given 
him very considerable fame. The WTiigs were 
casting about to find suitable candidates for Presi- 
dent and \'ice-President at the approaching elec- 
tion. Far away on the waters of the Rio Grande, 
there was a rough old soldier, who had fought 



one or two successful battles with the Mexicans, 
which had caused his name to be proclaimed in 
trumpet-tones all over the land as a candidate for 
the presidenc}'. But it was necessary to associate 
with him on the same ticket some man of repu- 
tation as a statesman. 

Under the influence of these considerations, the 
names of Zachar}' Taylor and Millard Fillmore 
became the rallying-crj- of the Whigs, as their 
candidates for President and Vice-President. The 
Whig ticket was signall)- triumphant. On the 
4th of March, 1849, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated 
President, and Millard Fillmore Vice-President, 
of the LTnited States. 

On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, 
about one year and four months after his inaugura- 
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the 
Constitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus be- 
came President. He appointed a very able cabi- 
net, of which the illustrious Daniel Webster was 
Secretary of State; nevertheless, he had serious 
difficulties to contend with, since the opposition 
had a majority' in both Houses. He did all in his 
power to conciliate the South; but the pro-slavery 
party in the South felt the inadequacy of all 
measures of transient conciliation. The ])opula- 
tiou of the free States was so rapidly increasing 
over that of the slave States, that it was inevitable 
that the power of the Government should soon 
pass into the hands of the free States. The fa- 
mous compromise measures were adopted under 
Mr. Fillmore's administration, and the Japan ex- 
pedition was sent out. On the 4th of March, 
1853, he, having ser\-ed one term, retired. 

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the 
Presidency by the "Know-Nothing" party, but 
was beaten by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. 
Fillmore lived in retirement. During the terri- 
ble conflict of civil war, he was mostly silent. It 
was generally .supposed that his sympathies were 
rather with those who were endeavoring to over- 
throw our institutions. President Fillmore kept 
aloof from the conflict, without anj- cordial words 
of cheer to one party or the other. He was thus 
forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe old age, 
and died in Buffalo, N. Y., March 8, 1S74. 




FRANKLIN I'lERCE. 



FRANKLIN PIERCE. 



|~RANKLIN PIERCE, the fourteeuth Presi- 
}m dent of the United States, was born in Hills- 
I * borough, N. H., November 23, 1S04. His 
father was a Revolutionary soldier, who with his 
own strong arm hewed out a home in the wilder- 
ness. He was a man of inflexible integrity, of 
strong, though uncultivated, mind, and was an un- 
compromising Democrat. The mother of Frank- 
lin Pierce was all that a son could desire — an in- 
telligent, prudent, affectionate. Christian woman. 

Franklin, who was the sixth of eight children, 
was a remarkably bright and handsome bo}-, 
generous, warm-hearted and brave. He won 
alike the love of old and young. The boys on 
the play-ground loved him. His teachers loved 
him. The neighbors looked upon him with pride 
and affection. He was by instinct a gentleman, 
always speaking kind words, and doing kind 
deeds, with a peculiar, unstudied tact which 
taught him what was agreeable. Without de- 
veloping an}' precocitj' of genius, or any unnatural 
devotion to books, he was a good scholar, and in 
body and mind a finely developed boy. 

When .sixteen years of age, in the j-ear 1820, 
he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me. 
He was one of the most popular young men in 
the college. The purity of his moral character, 
the unvarj-ing courtesy of his demeanor, his rank 
as a .scholar, and genial nature, rendered him a 
universal favorite. There was .something pe- 
culiarly winning in his address, and it was evi- 
dently not in the slightest degree studied — it was 
the simple outgushing of his own magnanimous 
and loving nature. 

Upon graduating, in the j'car 1824, Franklin 
Pierce commenced the study of law in the office 
of Judge Woodbury, one of the most distinguished 



lawyers of the State, and a man of great private 
worth. The eminent .social qualities of the young 
lawyer, his father's prominence as a public man, 
and the brilliant political career into which Judge 
Woodburj- was entering, all tended to entice Mr. 
Pierce into the fascinating yet perilous path of 
political life. With all the ardor of his nature he 
espoused the cause of Gen. Jackson for the Presi- 
dencj'. He commenced the practice of law in 
Hillsborough, and was soon elected to represent 
the town in the State Legislature. Here he 
served for four years. The last two j-ears he was 
chosen Speaker of the House by a very large 
vote. 

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was 
elected a member of Congress. In 1837, being 
then but thirty-three years old, he was elected to 
the Senate, taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren 
commenced his administration. He was the 
youngest member in the Senate. In the year 
1834, he married Miss Jane Means Appleton, a 
lady of rare beauty and accomplishments, and one 
admirably fitted to adorn e\'ery station with which 
her husband was honored. Of the three sons who 
were born to them, all now sleep with their par- 
ents in the grave. 

In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing 
fame and increasing business as a lawyer, took up 
his residence in Concord, the capital of New 
Hampshire. President Polk, upon his accession 
to office, appointed Mr. Pierce Attorney-General 
of the United JBtates; but the offer was declined 
in consequence of numerous professional engage- 
ments at home, and the precarious state of Mrs. 
Pierce's health. He also, about the same time, 
declined the nomination for Governor by the 
Democratic party. The war with Mexico called 



72 



FRANKLIN PIERCE. 



Mr. Pierce into the army. Receiving the appoint- 
ment of Brigadier-General, he embarked with a 
portion of his troops at Newport, R I., on the 
27th of May, 1847. He took an important part 
in this war, proving himself a brave and true sol- 
dier. 

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his na- 
tive State, he was received enthusiasticalh- by the 
advocates of the Mexican War, and coldly by his 
opponents. He resumed the practice of his pro- 
fession, \-erj- frequently taking an active part in 
political questions, giving his cordial support to 
the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic party. 
The compromise measures met cordially with his 
approval, and he strenuously advocated the en- 
forcement of the infamous Fugitive Slave Law, 
which so shocked the religious sensibilities of the 
North. He thus became distinguished as a 
' ' Northern man with Southern principles. ' ' The 
strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
quently regarded him as a man whom the}- could 
safely trust in oiEce to earn,- out their plans. 

On the 12th of June, 1S52, the Democratic con- 
vention met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate 
for the Presidenc\'. For four days they contin- 
ued in session, anditi thirtj'-fiveballotings noone 
had obtained a two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus 
far had been thrown for Gen. Pierce. Then the 
Virginia delegation brought forward his name. 
There were fourteen more ballotings, during which 
Gen. Pierce constantly gained strength, until, at 
the forty-ninth ballot, he recei\-ed two hundred 
and eighty-two votes, and all other candidates 
eleven. Gen. W'infield Scott was the Whig can- 
didate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with great una- 
nimity. Only four States — Vermont, Ma.ssachu- 
setts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their elec- 
toral votes against him. Gen. Franklin Pierce 
was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
States on the 4th of March, 1853. 

His administration proved one of the most 
stormy our countr>- had ever experienced. The 
controversy between slavery and freedom was 
then approaching its culminating point. It be- 
came evident that there was to be an irrepressible 
conflict between them, and that this nation 
could not long exist ' ' half slave and half free. 



President Pierce, during the w-hole of his admin- 
istration, did ever3-thing he could to conciliate the 
South; but it was all in vain. The conflict every 
year grew more violent, and threats of the disso- 
lution of the Union w-ere borne to the Ncith on 
everj- Southern breeze. 

Such was the condition of aflfairs when Presi- 
dent Pierce approached the close of his four- 
3-ears term of oSice. The North had become 
thoroughly alienated from him. The anti-slavery 
sentiment, goaded by great outrages, had been 
rapidly increasing; all the intellectual ability and 
social worth of President Pierce were forgotten in 
deep reprehension of his administrative acts. The 
slaveholders of the South also, unmindful of the 
fidelity with which he had advocated those meas- 
ures of Go\-ernment which they approved, and 
perhaps feeling that he had rendered himself 
so unpopular as no longer to be able to accepta- 
bly .serve them, ungratefully dropped him, and 
nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. 

On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- 
turned to his home in Concord. His three chil- 
dren were all dead, his last sun'iving child hav- 
ing been killed before his eyes in a railroad acci- 
dent; and his wife, one of the most estimable and 
accomplished of ladies, was rapidly sinking in 
consumption. The hour of dreadful gloom soon 
came, and he w-as left alone in the world without 
wife or child. 

When the terrible Rebellion burst forth which 
divided our country into two parties, and two 
onl}-, Mr. Pierce remained steadfa.st in the prin- 
ciples which he had always cherished, and gave 
his sympathies to that pro-slavery- party with 
which he had ever been allied. He declined to 
do anything, either by voice or pen, to strengthen 
the hand of the National Government. He con- 
tinued to reside in Concord until the time of his 
death, which occurred in October, 1869. He was 
one of the most genial and social of men, an hon- 
ored communicant of the Episcopal Church, and 
one of the kindest of neighbors. Generous to a 
fault, he contributed liberally toward the allevia- 
tion of suffering and want, and many of his 
towns-people were often gladdened by his material 
bounty. 




JAMKS BUCHANAN. 



JAMES BUCHANAN. 



(Tames BUCHANAN, the fifteenth President 
I of the United States, was born in a small 
C2/ frontier town, at the foot of the eastern ridge 
of the Alleghanies, iu Franklin County, Pa., on 
the 23d of April, 1791. The place where the 
humble cabin home stood was called Stony Bat- 
ter. His father was a native of the north of Ire- 
land, who had emigrated in 1783, with little prop- 
erty sa\e his own strong arms. Fi\-e years after- 
ward he married Elizabeth Spear, the daughter 
of a respectable farmer, and, with his young bride, 
plunged into the wilderness, staked his claim, 
reared his log hut, opened a clearing with his 
axe, and settled down there to perform his obscure 
l)art in the drama of life. When James was eight 
years of age, his father removed to the village of 
Mercersburg, where his son was placed at school, 
and commenced a course of study in English, 
Latin and Greek. His progress was rapid, and 
at the age of fourteen he entered Dickinson Col- 
lege, at Carlisle. Here he developed remarkable 
talent, and took his stand among the first scholars 
in the institution. 

In the year 1809, he graduated with the high- 
est honors of his class. He was then eighteen 
\ears of age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, 
fond of athletic sports, an unerring shot, and en- 
livened with an exuberant flow of animal spirits. 
He immediately commenced the stu(h' of law in 
the city of Lancaster, and was admitted to the 
Bar in 1812, when he was but twenty-one years 
of age. 

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for 
ten years he remained a member of the Lower 
House. During the vacations of Congress, he 



occasionally tried some important case. In 1831 
he retired altogether from the toils of his profes- 
sion, having acquired an ample fortune. 

Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presi- 
dency, appointed Mr. Buchanan Minister to Rus- 
sia. The duties of his mission he performed 
with ability, and gave satisfaction to all parties. 
Upon his return, in 1833, he was elected to a seat 
in the United States Senate. He there met as 
his associates Webster, Clay, Wright and Cal- 
houn. He advocated the mea.sures proposed bj' 
President Jackson, of making reprisals against 
France to enforce the payment of our claims 
against that country, and defended the course of 
the President in his unprecedented and wholesale 
removal from office of those who were not the 
supporters of his admini.stration. Upon this 
question he was brought into direct collision with 
Henry Clay. He also, with voice and vote, ad- 
vocated expunging from the journal of the Senate 
the vote of censure against Gen. Jackson for re- 
moving the deposits. Earnestly he opposed the 
abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, 
and urged the prohiljition of the circulation of 
anti-slaver}' documents by the United States 
mails. As to petitions on tlie subject of slavery, 
he advocated that they should be respectfully re- 
ceived, and that the reply should be returned 
that Congress had no power to legislate upon the 
su1)ject. " Congress," said he, "might as well 
undertake to interfere with slavery under a for- 
eign government as in any of the States where it 
now exists. ' ' 

Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, 
Mr. Buchanan l^ecame Secretary of State, and a? 
such took his share of the responsibility iu the 



76 



JAMES BUCHANAN. 



conduct of the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed 
that crossing the Nueces by the American 
troops into the disputed territorj- was not wrong, 
but for the Mexicans to cross the Rio Grande 
into Texas was a declaration of war. No candid 
man can read with pleasure the account of the 
course our Goverinnent pursued in that movement. 

Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly 
with the party devoted to the perpetuation and 
extension of .slavery, and brought all the energies 
of his mind to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. 
He gave his cordial approval to the compromise 
measures of 1850, which included the Fugitive 
Slave L,aw. Mr. Pierce, upon his election to the 
Presidency, honored Mr. Buchanan with the mis- 
sion to England. 

In the year 1856, a national Democratic Con- 
vention nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presi- 
dency. The political conflict was one of the most 
severe in which our countrj' has ever engaged. 
All the friends of slaver}' were on one side; all 
the advocates of its restriction and final abolition 
on the other. Mr. Fremont, the candidate ofthe 
enemies of slavery, received one hundred and 
fourteen electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 
one hundred and seventy-four, and was elected. 
The popular vote stood 1,340,618 for Fremont, 
1,224,750 for Buchanan. On March 4, 1857, 
the latter was inaugurated. 

Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only 
four years were wanting to fill up his three-score 
years and ten. His own friends, those with 
whom he had been allied in political principles 
and action for years, were seeking the destruc- 
tion of the Government, that the\- might rear 
upon the ruins of our free institutions a nation 
whose corner-stone should be human slaverj'. In 
this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly 
bewildered. He could not, with his long-avowed 
principles, consistently oppose the State Rights 
party in their assumptions. As President of the 
United States, bound by his oath faithfully to 
administer the laws, he could not, without per- 
jury of the grossest kind, unite with those en- 
deavoring to overthrow the Republic. He there- 
fore did nothing. 

The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administra- 



tion nominated Abraham Lincoln as their stand- 
ard-bearer in the next Presidential canvass. 
The pro-slavery party declared that if he were 
elected and the control of the Government were 
thus taken from their hands, tlie\- would secede 
from the Union, taking with them as they retired 
the National Capitol at Washington and the 
lion's share of the teiTitory of the United States. 

As the storm increased in violence, the slave- 
holders claiming the right to secede, and Mr. 
Buchanan avowing that Congress had no power 
to prevent it, one of the most pitiable exhibitions 
of governmental imbecility was exhibited that the 
world has ever seen. He declared that Congress 
had no power to enforce its laws in any State 
which had withdrawn, or which was attempting 
to withdraw, from the Union. This was not the 
doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with his hand 
upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed: "The Union 
must and shall be presen-ed!" 

South Carolina seceded in December, i860, 
nearly three months before the inauguration of 
President Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in 
listless despair. The rebel flag was raised in 
Charleston; Ft. Sumter was besieged; our forts, 
navy -yards and arsenals were seized; our depots 
of military stores were plundered, and our cus- 
tom-houses and po.st-offices were appropriated by 
the rebels. 

The energy of the rebels and the nnbecilitjf of 
our Executive were alike mar\-elous. The na- 
tion looked on in agony, waiting for the slow 
weeks to glide away and close the administration, 
.so terrible in its weakness. At length the long- 
looked-for hour of deliverance came, when Abra- 
ham Lincoln was to receive the scepter. 

The administration of President Buchanan was 
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
perienced. His best friends can not recall it with 
Xileasure. And still more deplorable it is for his 
fame, that in that dreadful conflict which rolled 
its billows of flame and blood over our whole 
land, no word came from his lips to indicate his 
wish that our country's banner should triumph 
over the flag of the Rebellion. He died at his 
\\'lieatland retreat, June i, 1868. 




ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



Gl BRAHAM LINCOLN, the sixteenth Presi- 
LA dent of the ITnited vStates, was born in Hardin 
I I County, Kj-., February 12, 1S09. About 
the year 1780, a man by the name of Abraham 
Lincohi left \'irginia with his family and moved 
into the then wilds of Kentucky- . Only two years 
after this emigration, and while still a young man, 
he was working one day in a field, when an Indian 
stealthily approached and killed him. His widow 
was left in extreme poverty with five little chil- 
dren, three boys and two girls. Thomas, the 
youngest of the boys, and the father of President 
Abraham Lincoln, was four }ears of age at his 
father's death. 

When twenty-eight years old, Thomas Lincoln 
built a log cabin, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
daughter of another family of poor Kentuck}- 
emigrants, who had also come from Virginia. 
Their second child was Abraham Lincoln, the sub- 
ject of this .sketch. The mother of Abraham was 
a noble woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created 
t > adorn a palace, but doomed to toil and pine, and 
die in a hovel. " All that I am, or hope to be," 
exclaimed the grateful son, " I owe to my angel- 
mother. ' ' When he was eight years of age, his 
father sold his cabin and small farm and moved 
to Indiana, where two j-ears later his mother died. 

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly 
family was the usual lot of humanity. There 
were joys and griefs, weddings and funerals. 
Abraham's sister Sarah, to whom he was tenderly 
attached, was married when a child of but four- 
teen years of age, and .soon died. The family 
was gradually scattered, and Thomas Lincoln 
sold out his .squatter's claim in 1830, and emi- 
grated to Macon County, 111. 

Abraham Ivincoln was then twent)'-c)ne years 
of age. With vigorous hands he aided his father 
in rearing another log cabin, and worked quite 
diligently at this until he saw the family com- 
fortably settled, and their small lot of enclosed 
prairie planted with corn, when he announced to 



his father his intention to leave home, and to go 
out into the world and .seek his fortune. Little 
did he or his friends imagine how brilliant that 
fortune was to be. He saw the value of educa- 
tion and was intenselj^ earnest to impro\-e his 
mind to the utmost of his power. Religion he 
revered. His morals were pure, and he was un- 
contaminated by a single vice. 

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired 
laborer among the farmers. Then he went to 
vSpringfield, where he was employed in building 
a large flat-boat. In this he took a herd of swine, 
floated them down the Sangamon to Illinois, and 
thence by the Mississippi to New Orleans. What- 
ever Abraham Lincoln undertook, he performed 
so faithfully as to give great satisfaction to his 
employers. In this adventure the latter were 
so well pleased, that upon his return they placed 
a store and mill under his care. 

In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk 
War, he enlisted and was chosen Captain of a 
company. He returned to Sangamon County, 
and, although only twenty-three years of age, was 
a candidate for the Legislature, but was defeated. 
Pie soon after received from Andrew Jackson the 
appointment of Postmaster of New Salem. His 
only post-office was his hat. All the letters he 
received he carried there, ready to deliver to those 
he chanced to meet. He studied sur\-eyiug, and 
soon made this his bu.siness. In 1834 he again 
became a candidate for the Legislature and was 
elected. Mr. Stuart, of Springfield, advised him 
to study law. He walked from New Salem to 
Springfield, borrowed of Mr. Stuart a load of 
books, carried them back, and began his legal 
studies. When the Legislature assembled, he 
trudged on foot with his pack on his back one 
hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here 
it was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 
he removed to Springfield and began the practice 
of law. His success with the jury was so great 



8o 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



that he was soon engaged in almost every noted 
case in the circuit. 

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. 
Lincohi and Mr. Douglas on the slavery ques- 
tion. In the organization of the Republican party 
in Illinois, in 1856, he took an active part, and at 
once became one of the leaders in that part>-. 
Mr. Lincoln's speeches in opposition to Senator 
Douglas in the contest in 1858 for a seat in the 
Senate, form a mo.st notable part of his history. 
The issue was on the slavery question, and he 
took the broad ground of the Declaration of In- 
dependence, that all men are created equal. Mr. 
Lincoln was defeated in this contest, but won a 
far higher prize. 

The great Republican Convention met at Chi- 
cago on the i6th of June, i860. The delegates 
and strangers who crowded the city amounted to 
twenty-five thousand. An immense building 
called " The Wigwam," was 'reared to accommo- 
date the convention. There were eleven candi- 
dates for whom votes were thrown. William H. 
Seward, a man whose fame as a statesman had 
long filled the land, was the most prominent. It 
was generally supposed he would be the nomi- 
nee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received the 
nomination on the third ballot. 

Election da\- came, and Mr. Lincoln received 
one hundred and eighty electoral votes out of two 
hundred and three cast, and was, therefore, con- 
stitutionally elected President of the United States. 
The tirade of abu.se that was poured upon this 
good and merciful man, especially by the slave- 
holders, was greater than upon any other man 
ever elected to this high position. In Februarj-, 
i86r, Mr. Lincoln started for Washington, stop- 
ping in all the large cities on his way, making- 
speeches. The whole journey was fraught with 
much danger. Many of the Southern States had 
already seceded, and .several attempts at assa.ssi- 
nation were afterward brought to light. A gang 
in Baltimore had arranged upon his arrival to 
"get up a row," and in the confusion to make 
sure of his death with revolvers and hand-gren- 
ades. A detective unravelled the plot. A secret 
and special train was provided to take him from 
Harnsburg, through Baltimore, at an unexpected 



hour of the night. The tram started at half-pa.st 
ten, and to prevent any possible communication 
on the part of the Secessionists with their Con- 
federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train 
had started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. 
Lincoln reached Washington in safety and was 
inaugurated, although great anxiety was felt by 
all loyal people. 

In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave 
to Mr. Seward the Department of State, and to 
other prominent opponents before the convention 
he gave important positions; but during no other 
administration had the duties devolving upon the 
President been so manifold, and the responsibilities 
so great, as those which fell to his lot. Knowing 
this, and feeling his own weakness and inability 
to meet, and in his own .strength to cope with, 
the difficulties, he learned early to seek Divine 
wisdom and guidance in determining his plans, 
and Divine comfort in all his trials, both personal 
and national. Contrary to his own estimate of 
himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the most cour- 
ageous of men. He went directly into the rebel 
capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, with 
no guard but a few sailors. From the time he 
had left Springfield, in 1S61, however, plans had 
been made for his assassination, and he at last 
fell a victim to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, 
with Gen. Grant, was urgently invited to attend 
Ford's Theatre. It was announced that they 
would be present. Gen. Grant, however, left the 
city. President Lincoln, feeling, with his char- 
acteristic kindliness of heart, that it would be a 
disappointment if he should fail them, very re- 
luctantly consented to go. While listening to 
the play, an actor by the name of John Wilkes 
Booth entered the box where the President and 
family were seated, and fired a bullet into his 
brain. He died the next morning at seven 
o'clock. 

Never before in the history of the world was 
a nation plunged into such deep grief by the death 
of its ruler. Strong men met in the streets and 
wept in speechless anguish. His was a life which 
will fitly become a model. His name as the 
vSavior of his country- will live with that of Wash 
ington's, its Father. 




ANDREW JOHNSON. 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 



Gl NDREW JOHNSON, seventeenth President 
LJ of the United States. The early life of An- 
/ I drew Johnson contains but the record of pov- 
ert}-, destitution and friendlessness. He was born 
December 29, 1808, in Raleigh, N. C. His par- 
ents, belonging to the class of "poor whites" 
of the South, were in such circumstances that they 
could not confer even the slightest advantages of 
education upon their child. When Andrew was 
five years of age, his father accidentally lost his 
life, while heroicalh- endeavoring to save a friend 
from drowning. Until ten j-ears of age, Andrew 
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by 
the labor of his mother, who obtained her living 
with her own hands. 

He then, having never attended a school one 
day, and being unable either to reader write, was 
apprenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gen- 
tleman was in the habit of going to the tailor's 
shop occasional!}', and reading to the boys at 
work there. He often read from the speeches of 
distinguished British statesmen. Andrew, who 
was endowed with a mind of more than ordinary 
ability, became much interested in these speeches; 
his ambition was roused, and he was inspired with 
a strong desire to learn to read. 

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, 
and with the a,ssistance of some of his fellow- 
workmen learned his letters. He then called upon 
the gentleman to borrow the book of speeches. 
The owner, pleased with his zeal, not only gave 
him the book, but assi-sted him in learning to com- 
bine the letters into words. Under such difficul- 
ties he pre.s.sed onward laboriously, spending usu- 
ally ten or twelve hours at work in the shop, and 
then robbing himself of rest and recreation to de- 
vote such time as he could to reading. 

He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at 



Greenville, where he married a young lady who 
possessed some education. Under her instructions 
he learned to write and cipher. He became 
prominent in the village debating societ}*, and a 
favorite with the students of Greenville College. 
In 1828, he organized a working man's party, 
which elected him Alderman, and in 1830 elected 
him Mayor, which position he held three years. 

He now began to take a lively interest in 
political affairs, identifying himselfwith the work- 
ing-class, to which he belonged. In 1835, he 
was elected a member of the House of Represent- 
atives of Tennessee. He was then just twenty- 
seven years of age. He became a very active 
member of the Legislature, gave his support to 
the Democratic party, and in 1840 "stumped the 
State," advocating Martin Van Buren's claims to 
the Presidency, in opposition to those of Gen. 
Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much 
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
his reputation. 

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, 
he was elected a Member of Congress, and bj- suc- 
cessive elections held that important post for ten 
years. In 1853, he was elected Governor of Tenn- 
essee, and was re-elected in 1855. In all these 
responsible positions, he discharged his duties 
with distinguished ability, and proved himself the 
warm friend of the working classes. In 1857, Mr. 
Johnson was elected United States Senator. 

Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
the annexation of Texas, .stating, however, as his 
reason, that he thought this annexation would 
probably prove "to be the gateway out of which 
the sable sons of Africa are to pass from bondage 
to freedom, and become merged in a population 
congenial to themselves." In 1850, he also sup- 
ported the compromise measures, the two essen- 



84 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 



tial features of which were, that the white people 
of the Territories should be permitted to decide 
for themselves whether they would enslave the 
colored people or not, and that the free States of 
the North should return to the South persons who 
attempted to escape from slaverj'. 

Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly 
origin: on the contrarj-, he often took pride in 
avowing that he owed his distinction to his own 
exertions. "Sir," said he on the floor of the 
Senate, "I do not forget that I am a mechanic; 
neither do I forget that Adam was a tailor and 
sewed fig-leaves, and that our Savior was the son 
of a carpenter. ' ' 

In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of i860, 
he was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for 
the Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of 
the Southern Democracy became apparent, he took 
a decided stand in favor of the Union, and held 
that "slavery must be held subordinate to the 
Union at whatever cost." He returned to Tenn- 
essee, and repeatedly imperiled his own life to 
protect the Unionists of that State. Tennessee 
having seceded from the Union, President Lincoln, 
on March 4, 1862, appointed him Military Gov- 
ernor of the State, and he estabUshed the most 
stringent militarj' rule. His numerous proclama- 
tions attracted wide attention. In 1864, he was 
■ elected Vice-President of the United States, and 
upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 1865, 
became President. In a speech two da3s later he 
said, "The American people must be taught, if 
they do not already feel, that treason is a crime 
and must be punished; that the Government will 
not always bear with its enemies; that it is strong 
not only to protect, but to punish. * * The 
people must understand that it (treason) is the 
blackest of crimes, and will surely be punished. ' ' 
Yet his whole administration, the histoiy of which 
is so well known, was in utter inconsistencj- with, 
and in the most violent opposition to, the princi- 
ples laid down in that speech. 

In his loose policy of reconstruction and general 
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress, and he 
characterized Congress as a new rebellion, and 
lawlessly defied it in everj-thing possible to the ut- 
most. In the beginning of 1868, on account of 



"High crimes and misdemeanors," the principal 
of which was the removal of Secretary- Stanton in 
violation of the Tenure of Office Act, articles of 
impeachment were preferred against him, and the 
trial began March 23. 

It was very tedious, continuing for nearlj- three 
months. A test article of the impeachment was 
at length submitted to the court for its action. It 
was certain that as the court voted upon that ar- 
ticle so would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices 
pronounced the President guilt)-. As a two-thirds 
vote was necessary to his condemnation, he was 
pronounced acquitted, notwithstanding the great 
majority against him. The change of one ^•ote 
from the not guilty side would have sustained the 
impeachment. 

The President, for the remainder of his term, 
was but little regarded. He continued, though 
impotently, his conflict with Congress. His own 
party did not think it expedient to renominate 
him for the Presidency. The Nation rallied with 
enthusiasm, unparalleled since the days of Wash- 
ington, around the name of Gen. Grant. Andrew 
Johnson was forgotten. The bullet of the assassin 
introduced him to the President's chair. Not- 
withstanding this, never was there presented to a 
man a better opportunity' to immortalize his name, 
and to win the gratitude of a nation. He failed 
utterly. He retired to his home in Greenville, 
Tenn., taking no very active part in politics until 
1875. On Januarj' 26, after an exciting struggle, 
he was chosen by the Legislature of Tennessee 
United States Senator in the Forty-fourth Congess, 
and took his seat in that bod)-, at the special ses- 
sion convened by President Grant, on the 5th of 
March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-Presi- 
dent made a visit to his daughter's home, near 
Carter Station, Tenn. When he started on his 
journey, he was apparently in his usual vigorous 
health, but on reaching the residence of his child 
the following day, he was .'Stricken with paralysis, 
which rendered him uncon.scious. He rallied oc- 
casionally, but finally passed away at 2 A. m., 
July 31 , aged sixty -seven years. His funeral was 
held at Greenville, on the 3d of August, with 
ever)' demonstration of respect. 




u. s. c;rant. 



ULYSSES S. GRANT. 



HLYSSES S. GRANT, the eighteenth Presi- 
deut of the United States, was born on the 
29th of April, 1822, of Christian parents, in 
a humble home at Point Pleasant, on the banks 
of the Ohio. Shortly after, his father moved to 
Georgetown, Brown County, Ohio. In this re- 
mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses received a common- 
school education. At the age of seventeen, in 
the j'ear 1839, he entered the Militar}- Academj' 
at West Point. Here he was regarded as a solid, 
sensible young man, of fair ability, and of sturdy, 
honest character. He took respectable rank as a 
scholar. In June, 1S43, he graduated about the 
middle in his class, and was sent as Lieutenant of 
Infantrj' to one of the distant military posts in the 
Mis.souri Territory. Two years he passed in these 
drearj' solitudes, watching the vagabond Indians. 

The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was 
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His 
first battle was at Palo Alto. There was no 
chance here for the exhibition of either skill or 
heroism, nor at Resaca de la Palma, his second 
battle. At the battle of Monterey, his third en- 
gagement, it is said that he performed a signal 
service of daring and skillful horsemanship. 

At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant 
returned with his regiment to New York, and 
was again sent to one of the militarj^ posts on the 
frontier. The discover^' of gold in California 
causing an immense tide of emigration to flow to 
the Pacific shores, Capt. Grant was sent with a 
battalion to Ft. Dallas, in Oregon, for the protec- 
tion of the interests of the immigrants. But life 
was wearisome in those wilds, and he resigned 
his commission and returned to the States. Hav- 
ing married, he entered upon the cultivation of a 
small farm near St. Lotiis, Mo., but having little 



skill as a farmer, and finding his toil not re- 
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering 
into the leather business, with a younger brother 
at Galena, 111. This was in the year i860. As 
the tidings of the rebels firing on Ft. Sumter 
reached the ears of Capt. Grant in his counting- 
room, he said: "Uncle Sam has educated me 
for the army; though I have served him through 
one war, I do not feel that I have yet repaid the 
debt. I am still ready to discharge my obliga- 
tions. I shall therefore buckle on my sword and 
see Uncle Sam through this war too." 

He went into the .streets, rai.sed a company of 
volunteers, and led them as their Captain to 
Springfield, the capital of the State, where their 
services were offered to Go\'. Yates. The Gov- 
ernor, impressed by the zeal and straightforward 
executive ability of Capt. Grant, gave him a desk 
in his office to assist in the volunteer organiza- 
tion that was being formed in the State in behalf 
of the Government. On the 15th of June, i85i, 
Capt. Grant received a commis.sion as Colonel of 
the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. 
His merits as a West Point graduate, who had 
served for fifteen years in the regular army, were 
such that he was soon promoted to the rank of 
Brigadier-General, and was placed in command at 
Cairo. The rebels rai.sed their banner at Padu- 
cah, near the mouth of the Tennessee River. 
Scarceh- had its folds appeared in the breeze ere 
Gen. Grant was there. The rebels fled, their 
banner fell, and the Stars and Stripes were un- 
fiirled in its stead. 

He entered the service with great determina- 
tion and immediately began active dutj-. This 
was the begiiuiing, and until the surrender of 
Lee at Richmond he was ever pushing the enemy 



88 



ULYSSES S. GRANT. 



with great vigor and effectiveness. At Belmont, 
a few days later, he surprised and routed the 
rebels, then at Ft. Henry won another victory. 
Then came the brilliant fight at Ft. Donelson. 
The nation was electrified by the victory, and the 
brave leader of the boys in blue was immediately 
made a Major- General, and the miUtary district 
of Tennessee was assigned to him. 

Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well 
how to secure the results of victory. He imme- 
diately pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then 
came the terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, 
Corinth, and the siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. 
Pemberton made an unconditional surrender of 
the city with over thirty thousand men and one 
hundred and seventy-two cannon. The fall of 
Vicksburg was by far the most severe blow which 
the rebels had thus far encountered, and opened 
up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 

Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with 
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- 
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown 
from his horse, and received severe injuries, from 
which he was laid up for months. He then 
rushed to the aid of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas 
at Chattanooga, and by a wonderful series of 
strategic and technical measures put the Union 
army in fighting condition. Then followed the 
bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout Moun- 
tain and Missionai-y Ridge, in which the rebels 
were routed with great loss. This won for him 
unbounded praise in the North. On the 4th of 
February, 1864, Congress revived the grade of 
lieutenant-general, and the rank was conferred 
on Gen. Grant. He repaired to Washington to 
receive his credentials and enter upon the duties 
of his new office. 

Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge 
of the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed 
National troops for an attack upon Richmond, 
the nominal capital of the rebellion, and endeavor 
there to destroy the rebel armies which would be 
promptly assembled from all quarters for its de- 
fense. The whole continent seemed to tremble 
under the tramp of these majestic annies, rushing 
to the decisive battle-field. Steamers were crowd- 
ed with troops. Railway trains were burdened 



with closely -packed thousands. His plans were 
comprehensive, and involved a series of cam- 
paigns, which were executed with remarkable 
energy and abilitj-, and were consummated at the 
surrender of Lee, April 9, 1865. 

The war was ended. The Union was saved. 
The almost unanimous voice of the nation de- 
clared Gen. Grant to be the most prominent in- 
strument in its salvation. The eminent sen-ices 
he had thus rendered the country brought him 
conspicuously forward as the Republican candi- 
date for the Presidential chair. 

At the Republican Convention held at Chicago, 
May 21, 1868, he was unanimouslj' nominated 
for the Presidency, and at the autumn election 
received a majority of the popular vote, and two 
hundred and fourteen out of two hundred and 
ninety-four electoral votes. 

The National Convention of the Republican 
party, which met at Philadelphia on the 5th 01 
June, 1S72, placed Gen. Grant in nomination for 
a second term by a unanimous vote. The selec- 
tion was emphatically indorsed by the people five 
months later, two hundred and ninety-two elect- 
oral votes being cast for him. 

Soon after the close of his second term. Gen. 
Grant started upon his famous trip around the 
world. He visited almost everj" country of the 
civilized world, and was everywhere received 
with such ovations and demonstrations of respect 
and honor, private as well as public and official, 
as were never before bestowed upon any citizen 
of the United States. 

He was the most prominent candidate before 
the Republican National Convention in 1880 for 
a renomination for President. He went to New 
York and embarked in the brokerage business 
under the firm name of Grant & Ward. The 
latter proved a villain, wrecked Grant's fortune, 
and for larceny was sent to the penitentiary. 
The General was attacked with cancer in the 
throat, but suffered in his stoic-like maimer, never 
complaining. He was re-instated as General of 
the Anny, and retired by Congress. The cancer 
soon fini.shed its deadly work, and July 23, 1885, 
the nation went in mourning over the death 01 
the illu.strious General. 




kUTHKRFORl) li. HAV1-:S. 



RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 



QUTHERFORD B. HAYES, the nineteenth 
kA President of the United States, was born in 
p\ Delaware, Ohio, October 4, 1822, almost 
three months after the death of his father, Ruther- 
ford Hayes. His ancestry on both the paternal and 
maternal sides was of the most honorable char- 
acter. It can be traced, it is said, as far back as 
1280, when Hayes and Rutherford were two 
Scottish chieftains, fighting side bj- side with 
Baliol, William Wallace and Robert Bruce. Both 
families belonged to the nobilitj', owned extensive 
estates, and had a large following. Misfortune 
overtaking the famil}-, George Hayes left Scotland 
in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
George was born in Windsor, and remained there 
during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, 
married Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of 
his marriage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. 
Ezekiel, son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was 
a manufacturer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. 
Rutherford Hayes, son of Ezekiel and grandfather 
of President Haj-es, was born in New Haven, in 
August, 1756. He was a farmer, blacksmith and 
tavern-keeper. He emigrated to Vermont at an 
unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, where he 
established a hotel. Here his son, Rutherford 
Hayes, the father of President Hayes, was born. 
He was married, in September, 1813, to Sophia 
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors 
emigrated thither from Connecticut, they having 
been among the wealthiest and best families of 
Nor^vich. Her ancestry on the male side is 
traced back to 1635, to John Birchard, one of the 
principal founders of Norwich. Both of her grand- 
fathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. 

The father of President Hayes was an industri- 
ous, frugal, yet open-hearted man. He was of a 



mechanical turn of mind, and could mend a plow, 
knit a stocking, or do almost anything else that 
he chose to undertake. He was a member of the 
church, active in all the benevolent enterprises 
of the town, and conducted his business on Chris- 
tian principles. After the close of the War of 
1812, for reasons inexplicable to his neighbors, he 
resolved to emigrate to Ohio. 

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day, 
when there were no canals, steamers, or rail- 
wa5-s, was a ver>^ serious affair. A tour of in- 
spection was first made, occupying four months. 
Mr. Hayes decided to move to Delaware, where 
the family arrived in 181 7. He died July 22, 
1822, a victim of malarial fever, less than three 
months before the birth of the son of whom we 
write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore bereavement, 
found the support she so much needed in her 
brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
household from the day of its departure from 
Vermont, and in an orphan girl, whom she had 
adopted some time before as an act of charity. 

Rutherford was seven years old before he went 
to school. His education, however, was not neg- 
lected. He probably learned as much from his 
mother and sister as he would have done at 
school. His sports were almost wholly within 
doors, his playmates being his sister and her asso- 
ciates. These circumstances tended, no doubt, to 
foster that gentleness of disposition and that del- 
icate consideration for the feelings of others which 
were marked traits of his character. 

His uncle, Sardis Birchard, took the deepest 
interest in his education; and as the boy's health 
had improved, and he was making good progress 
in his studies, he propo.sed to send him to college. 
His preparation commenced with a tutor at home; 



92 



RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 



but he was afterwards sent for one year to a pro- 
fessor in the Wesley an University in Middletowii, 
Conn. He entered Kenyon College in 1838, at 
the age of sixteen, and was graduated at the head 
of his class in 1842. 

Immediatelj' after his graduation he began the 
study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, 
Esq., in Columbus. Finding his opportunities 
for study in Columbus somewhat limited, he de- 
termined to enter the Law School at Cambridge, 
Mass., where he remained two years. 

In 1S45, after graduating at the Uaw School, he 
was admitted to the Bar at Marietta, Ohio, and 
shortly afterward went into practice as an at- 
torney-at-law with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fre- 
mont. Here he remained three years, acquiring 
but a limited practice, and apparently unambitious 
of distinction in his profession. 

In 1849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his am- 
bition found a new stimulus. For several years, 
however, his progress was slow. Two events 
occurring at this period had a powerful influence 
upon his subsequent life. One of these was his 
marriage with Miss Lucy Ware Webb, daughter 
of Dr. James Webb, of Chillicothe; the other was 
his introduction to the Cincinnati Literary Club, 
a body embracing among its members such men 
as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, Gen. John 
Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many others 
hardly less distinguished in after life. The mar- 
riage was a fortunate one in every respect, as 
ever3'body knows. Not one of all the wives of 
our Presidents was more universally admired, 
reverenced and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and 
no one did more than she to reflect honor upon 
American womanhood. The LiteraryClub brought 
Mr. Hayes into constant association with young 
men of high character and noble aims, and lured 
him to display the qualities so long hidden by his 
bashfulness and modesty. 

In 1856 he was nominated to the ofiice of Judge 
of the Court of Common Pleas, but he declined to 
accept the nomination. Two years later, the of- 
fice of City Solicitor becoming vacant, the City 
Council elected him for the unexpired term. 

In 1 86 1, when the Rebellion broke out, he was 
at the zenith of his professional life. His rank at 



the Bar was among the first. But the news of 
the attack on Ft. Sumter found him eager to 
take up arms for the defense of his countrj-. 

His military record was bright and illustrious. 
In October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel, and in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of 
the Seventy-ninth Ohio Regiment, but he refused 
to leave his old comrades and go among strangers. 
Subsequently, however, he was made Colonel of 
his old regiment. At the battle of South Moun- 
tain he received a wound, and while faint and 
bleeding displayed courage and fortitude that 
won admiration from all. 

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, 
after his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, 
and placed in command of the celebrated Kanawha 
divi.sion, and for gallant and meritorious services 
in the battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and 
Cedar Creek, he was promoted Brigadier-General. 
He was also breveted Major- General, "for gallant 
and distinguished ser\'ices during the campaigns 
of 1864, in West Virginia." In the course of his 
arduous services, four horses were .shot from un- 
der him, and he was wounded four times. 

In 1S64, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress 
from the Second Ohio District, which had long 
been Democratic. He was not present during the 
campaign, and after the election was importuned 
to resign his commission in the armj-; but he fi- 
nally declared, ' ' I shall never come to Washing- 
ton until I can come by way of Richmond." He 
was re-elected in 1866. 

In 1867, Gen. Hayes was elected Governor of 
Ohio, over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular 
Democrat, and in 1869 was re-elected over George 
H. Pendleton. He was elected Governor for the 
third term in 1875. 

In 1876 he was the .standard-bearer of the Re- 
publican party in the Presidential contest, and 
after a hard, long contest was chosen President, 
and was inaugurated Monda}-, March 5, 1S77. 
He served his full term, not, however, with satis- 
faction to his party, but his administration was an 
average one. The remaining years of his life 
were passed quietly in his Ohio home, where he 
pa,s,sed away January 17, 1893. 




JAMES A. GARHIKI.Il 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



QAMES a. GARFIELD, twentieth President 
I of the United States, was born November 19, 
(2/ 1 83 1, in the woods of Orange, Cuyahoga 
County, Ohio. His parents were Abrani and 
Eliza (Ballon) Garfield, both of New England 
ancestry, and from families well known in the 
early history of that section of our countr^^ but 
who had moved to the Western Resen-e, in Ohio, 
early in its settlement. 

The house in which James A. was born was 
not unlike the houses of poor Ohio farmers of 
that day. It was about 20 x 30 feet, built of logs, 
with the spaces between the logs filled with clay. 
His father was a hard-working farmer, and he 
soon had his fields cleared, an orchard planted, 
and a log barn built. The household comprised 
the father and mother and their four children, 
Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and James. In May, 
1S23, the father died from a cold contracted in 
helping to put out a forest fire. At this time 
James was about eighteen months old, and 
Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, 
can tell how much James was indebted to his 
brother's toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty 
years succeeding his father's death. He now 
li\-es in Michigan, and the two sisters live in Solon, 
Ohio, near their birthplace. 

The early educational advantages young Gar- 
field enjoyed were ver\- limited, ^-et he made the 
most of them. He labored at farm work for 
others, did carpenter work, chopped wood, or did 
anything that would bring in a few dollars to aid 
his widowed mother in her struggles to keep the 
little family together. Nor was Gen. Garfield 
ever ashamed of his origin, and he never forgot 
the friends of his struggling childhood, youth and 
manhood; neither did they ever forget him. 
When in the highest seats of honor, the humblest 
friend of his boyhood was as kindly greeted as 
ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the sym- 
pathy of one who had known all the bitterness of 



want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
sweat of the brow. lie was ever the simple, 
plain, modest gentleman. 

The highest ambition of yomig Garfield until 
he was about si.xteen years old was to be cap- 
tain of a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious 
to go aboard a vessel, but this his mother strongly 
opposed. She finally consented to his going to 
Cleveland, with the understanding, however, that 
he should try to obtain some other kind of em- 
ployment. He walked all the way to Cleveland. 
This was his first visit to the citj-. After making 
manj^ applications for work, and trjing to get 
aboard a lake vessel and not meeting with suc- 
cess, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. 
He remained at this work but a short time, when 
he went home, and attended the seminary at 
Chester for about three years. He then entered 
Hiram and the Eclectic Institute, teaching a few 
terms of school in the mean time, and doing other 
work. This school was started by the Disciples 
of Christ in 1850, of which body he was then a 
member. He became janitor and bell-ringer in 
order to help pay his way. He then became both 
teacher and pupil. Soon " exhausting Hiram," 
and needing a higher education, in the fall of 1854 
he entered Williams College, from which he grad- 
uated in 1856, taking one of the highest honors of 
his class. He aftenvards returned to Hiram Col- 
lege as its President. As above stated, he early 
united with the Christian, or Disciples, Church at 
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous 
member, often preaching in its pulpit and places 
where he happened to be. 

Mr. Garfield was united in marriage, Novem- 
ber II, 1858, with Miss Lucretia Rudolph, who 
proved herself worthy as the wife of one whom 
all the world loved. To them were bom seven 
children, five of whom are still living, four boys 
and one girl. 



96 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 
1856, in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and 
three years later he began to speak at countj- 
mass-meetings, and became the favorite speaker 

he 



wherever he was. During this year he was 
elected to the Ohio Senate. He also began to 
study law at Cleveland, and in 1S61 was admitted 
to the Bar. The great Rebellion broke out in the 
early part of this year, and Mr. Garfield at once 
resoh-ed to fight as he had talked, and enlisted to 
defend the Old Flag. He received his commission 
as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Forty-second Regi- 
ment of Ohio Infantry August 14, 1861. He 
was immediately put into active ser\dce, and be- 
fore he had ever .seen a gun fired in action, was 
placed in command of four regiments of infantrj- 
and eight companies of cavalrj', charged with the 
work of driving out of his native State the able 
rebel officer, Humphrey Marshall, of Kentucky. 
This work was bravely and speedily accomplished, 
although against great odds, and President Lin- 
coln commissioned him Brigadier-General. Janu- 
ary' 10, 1862; and "as he had been the youngest 
man in the Ohio Senate two years before, so now 
he was the youngest General in the army." He 
was with Gen. Bucll's anny at Shiloh, in its 
operations around Corinth and its march through 
Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of 
the general court martial for the trial of Gen. 
Fitz-John Porter. He was next ordered to re- 
port to Gen. Rosecrans, and was assigned to the 
" Chief of Staff. " The military history of Gen. 
Garfield closed with his brilliant services at Cliick- 
amanga, where he won the rank of Major-General. 
Without an effort on his part. Gen. Garfield 
was elected to Congress in the fall of 1S62, from 
the Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of 
Ohio had been represented in Congress for sixty 
years maiiih- by two men — Elisha Whittlesey and 
Joshua R. Giddings. It was not without a strug- 
gle that he resigned his place in the armj-. At 
the time he entered Congress he was the youngest 
member in that body. There he remained by 
successive re-elections until he was elected Presi- 
dent, in 18S0. Of his labors in Congress, Senator 
Hoar says: "Since the year 1864 you cannot 
think of a question which has been debated in 



Congress, or discussed before a tribunal of the 
American people, in regard to which you will not 
find, if you wish instruction, the argument on 
one side stated, in almost ever}- instance better 
than bj- anybody else, in some speech made in 
the House of Representatives or on the hustings 
by Mr. Garfield." 

Upon January 14, 1S80, Gen. Garfield was elect- 
ed to the United States Senate, and on the 8th of 
June, of the same j'ear, was nominated as the 
candidate of his party for President at the great 
Chicago Convention. He was elected in the fol- 
lowing November, and on March 4, 1881, was 
inaugurated. Probably no administration ever 
opened its existence inider brighter auspices than 
that of President Garfield, and every day it grew 
in favor with the people. By the ist of July 
he had completed all the initiatory and prelimi- 
nary work of his administration, and was prepar- 
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Will- 
iams College. While on his way and at the 
depot, in company with Secretary Blaine, a man 
stepped behind him, drew a revolver, and fired 
directly at his back. The President tottered and 
fell, and as he did so the assassin fired a second 
shot, the bullet cutting the left coat sleeve of his 
victim, but inflicting no further injury. It has 
been very truthfully said that this was " the shot 
that was heard around the world. ' ' Never before 
in the history of the nation had anything occur- 
red which so nearly froze the blood of the people 
for the moment as this awful deed. He was 
smitten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his 
life, at the summit of his power and hope. For 
eighty days, all during the hot months of July 
and August, he lingered and suffered. He, how- 
ever, remained master of himself till the last, and 
by his magnificent bearing taught the countr>^ 
and the world one of the noblest of human les- 
sons — how to live grandly in the very clutch of 
death. Great in life, he was surpassingly great 
in death. He passed serenely away September 
19, 1883, at Elberon, N. J., on the ver>- bank of 
tlie ocean, where he had been taken shortly be- 
fore. The world wept at his death, as it rarely 
ever had done on the death of any other great 
and noble man. 




CHESTER A. ARTHIR. 



CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 



E HESTER A. ARTHUR, twenty-first Presi- 
dent of the United States, was born in Frank- 
lin County, Vt., on the 5th day of October, 
1830, and was the eldest of a family of two sons 
and five daughters. His father was the Rev. Dr. 
William Arthur, a Baptist clergyman, who emi- 
grated to this country from County Antrim, Ire- 
land, in his eighteenth year, and died in 1875, in 
Newtonville, near Albanj-, after a long and sue- 
ce.ssful ministry. 

Young Arthur was educated at Union College, 
Schenectady, where he excelled in all his studies. 
Alter his graduation he taught school in Ver- 
mont for two years, and at the expiration of that 
time came to New York, with $500 in his pocket, 
and entered the office of ex-Judge E. D. Cidver 
as a student. After being admitted to the Bar, he 
formed a partnership with his intimate friend and 
room-mate, Henrj- D. Gardiner, with the inten- 
tion of practicing in the West, and for three 
months they roamed about in the W^estern States 
in search of an eligible site, but in the end re- 
turned to New York, where the}- hung out their 
shingle, and entered upon a successful career al- 
most from the .start. Gen. Arthur soon after mar- 
ried the daughter of Lieut. Herndon, of the 
United States Navy, who was lost at sea. Con- 
gress voted a gold medal to his widow in recog- 
nition of the bravery- he displayed on that occa- 
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. 
Arthur's nominationto the Vice-Presidency, leav- 
ing two children. 

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celeb- 
rity in iiis first great case, the famous Lennnon 
suit, brought to recover possession of eight slaves 
who had been declared free by Judge Paine, of 
the Superior Court of New York Cit}'. It was in 



1852 that Jonathan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to 
New York with his slaves, intending to ship them 
to Texas, when they were discovered and freed. 
The Judge decided that tliey could not be held by 
the owner under the Fugitive Slave Law. A howl 
of rage went up from the South, and the Virginia 
Legislature authorized the Attorney-General of 
that State to assist in an appeal. M'illiam M. 
Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed to 
represent the people, and they won their case, 
which then went to the Supreme Court of the 
United States. Charles O' Conor here espoused 
the cause of the slaveholders, but he, too, was 
beaten by Messrs. Evarts and Arthur, and a long 
step was taken toward the emancipation of the 
black race. 

Another great sen-ice was rendered bj- Gen. 
Arthur in the same cause in 1S56. Lizzie Jen- 
nings, a respectable colored woman, was put off" 
a Fourth Avenue car with violence after she had 
paid her fare. Gen. Arthur .sued on her behalf, 
and secured a verdict of $500 damages. The next 
day the company issued an order to admit colored 
persons to ride on their cars, and the other car 
companies quickly followed their example. Be- 
fore that the Sixth Avenue Company ran a few 
special cars for colored persons, and the other lines 
refused to let them ride at all. 

Gen. Arthur was a delegate to the convention 
at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. 
Previous to the war he was Judge- Advocate of 
the Second Brigade of the State of New York, 
and Gov. Morgan, of that State, appointed him 
Engineer-in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was 
made Inspector-General, and .soon aftenvard be- 
came Quartermaster-General. In each of these 
offices he rendered great service to the Govern- 



lOO 



CHESTER A. ARTHUR. 



ment during the war. At the end of Gov. Mor- 
gan's term he resumed the practice of law, form- 
ing a partnership with Mr. Ransom, and then 
Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney of New York, 
was added to the firm. The legal practice of this 
well-known firm was verj- large and lucrative, 
as each of the gentlemen composing it was an able 
lawyer, and possessed a splendid local reputa- 
tion, if not, indeed, one of national extent. 

Mr. Arthur alwaj-s took a leading part in State 
and city politics. He was appointed Collector of 
the Port of New York by President Grant, No- 
vember 21, 1872, to succeed Thomas Murphy, 
and he held the office until July 20, 1S78, when 
he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. 

Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential 
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the 
famous National Republican Convention held at 
Chicago in June, 1S80. This was perhaps the 
greatest political convention that ever assembled 
on the continent. It was composed of the lead- 
ing politicians of the Republican party, all able 
men, and each stood firm and fought vigorously 
and with signal tenacity for his respective can- 
didate that was before the convention for the 
nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield received the 
nomination for President, and Gen. Arthur for 
Vice-Pre.sident. The campaign which followed 
was one of the most animated known in the his- 
tory of our country. Gen. Hancock, the stand- 
ard-bearer of the Democratic party, was a popular 
man, and his party made a valiant fight for his 
election. 

Finally the election came, and the country's 
choice was Garfield and Arthur. They were in- 
augurated March 4, 1881, as President and Vice- 
President. A few months only had passed ere 
the newly-chosen President was the victim of the 
assassin's bullet. Then came terrible weeks of 
suSering — those moments of anxious suspense, 
when the hearts of all civilized nations were 
throbbing in unison, longing for the recovery of 
the noble, the good President. The remarkable 
patience that he manifested during those hours 
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible 
suffering man has ever been called upon to en- 
dure, was seemingly more than human. It was 



certainly godlike. During all this period of 
deepest anxiety Mr. Arthur's every move was 
watched, and, be it said to his credit, that his every 
action displayed only an earnest desire that the 
suffering Garfield might recover to serve the re- 
mainder of the term he had so auspiciously be- 
gun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested in 
deed or look of this man, even though the most 
honored position in the world was at any moment 
likely to fall to him. 

At last God in his mercy relieved President 
Garfield from further suffering, and the world, as 
never before in its history over the death of any 
other man, wept at his bier. Then it became the 
duty of the Vice-President to assume the respon- 
sibilities of the high office, and he took the oath 
in New York, September 20, 1881. The position 
was an embarrassing one to him, made doubly so 
from the fact that all eyes were on him, anxious 
to know what he would do, what policy he would 
pursue, and whom he would select as advisers. 
The duties of the office had been greatly neglected 
during the President' s long illness, and many im- 
portant measures were to be immediately decided 
by him; and to still further embarass him he did 
not fail to realize under what circumstances he 
became President, and knew the feelings of many 
on this point. Under these trying circumstances. 
President Arthur took the reins of the Govern- 
ment in his own hands, and, as embarrassing as 
was the conchtion of affairs, he happily surprised 
the nation, acting so wisely that but few criticized 
his administration. He served the nation well 
and faithfully until the close of his administra- 
tion, March 4, 1885, and was a popular candidate 
before his party for a second term. His name 
was ably presented before the convention at Chi- 
cago, and was received with great favor, and 
doubtless but for the personal popularity of one 
of the opposing candidates, he would ha\e been 
selected as the standard-bearer of his party for 
another campaign. He retired to private life, car- 
rying with him the best wishes of the American 
people, whom he had served in a manner satisfac- 
tory^ to them and with credit to himself. One 
5-ear later he was called to his final rest. 




GROVER CI.KVl-I.ANI) 



STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND. 



mTEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND, the 
r\ twent J- -second President of the United States, 
Vjy was born in 1837, in the obscure town of 
Caldwell, Essex County, N. J., and in a little 
two-and-a-half-stor}- white house, which is still 
standing to characteristically mark the humble 
birthplace of one of America's great men, in 
striking contrast ■with the Old World, where all 
men high in office must be high in origin and 
born in the cradle of wealth. When the subject 
of this sketch was three years of age, his father, 
who was a Presbyterian minister with a large 
fiimily and a small salarj^ moved, b)^ way of the 
Hudson River and Erie Canal, to Fayetteville, N. 
Y., in search of an increased income and a larger 
field of work. Fayetteville was then the most 
straggling of countni- villages, about five miles 
from Pompey Hill, where Governor Sej'mour 
was born. 

At the last-mentioned place j'oung Grover com- 
menced going to school in the good, old-fashioned 
way, and presumably distinguished him.self after 
the manner of all village boys — in doing the 
things he ought not to do. Such is the dis- 
tingui.shing trait of all geniuses and independent 
thinkers. When he arrived at the age of four- 
teen years, he had outgrown the capacit\- of the 
village school, and expres.sed a most emphatic de- 
sire to be sent to an academy. To this his fa- 
ther decidedly objected. Academies in those 
days cost money; besides, his father wanted him 
to become self-supporting by the quickest pos- 
sible means, and this at that time in Fayetteville 
seemed to be a position in a countr>- store, where 
his father and the large family on his hands had 



considerable influence. Grover was to be paid 
$50 for his services the first year, and if he proved 
trustworthy he was to receive $100 the second 
year. Here the lad commenced his career as 
salesman, and in two years he had earned .so good 
a reputation for tru.stworthiness that his employ- 
ers desired to retain him for an indefinite length 
of time. 

But instead of remaining with this firm in 
Fayetteville, he went with the family in their re- 
moval to Clinton, where he had an opportunity 
of attending a High School. Here he industri- 
ously pursued his studies until the family re- 
moved with him to a point on Black River known 
as the "Holland Patent," a village of five or six 
hundred people, fifteen miles north of Utica, N. Y. 
At this place his father died, after preaching but 
three Sundays. This event broke up the famil}-, 
and Grover set out for New York City to accept, 
at a small salary, the position of under-teacher 
in an asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully 
for two years, and although he obtained a good 
reputation in this capacity, he concluded that 
teaching was not his calling in life, and, revers- 
ing the traditional order, he left the city to .seek 
his fortune, instead of going to the city. He first 
thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as there was some 
charm in that name for him; but before proceed- 
ing to that place he went to Buffalo to ask advice 
of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted stock- 
breeder of that place. The latter did not speak 
enthusiastically. "What is it you want to do, 
my boy?" he asked. "Well, sir, I want to study 
law," was the reply "Good gracious!" remarked 
the old gentleman; " do you, indeed? Whatever 



I04 



STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND. 



put that into your head ? How much money 
have you got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I 
haven't got an}'." 

After a long consultation, his uncle offered him 
a place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at 
$50 a year, while he could look around. One 
day soon afterward he boldly walked into the of- 
fice of Rogers, Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and 
told them what he wanted. A number of young 
men were already engaged in the office, but Gro- 
ver's persistency won, and he was finally per- 
mitted to come as an office boy and have the use 
of the law librar)-, receiving as wages the sum of 
$3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for his 
board and washing. The walk to and from his 
uncle's was a long and rugged one; and although 
the first winter was a memorably severe one, his 
shoes were out of repair, and as for his overcoat he 
had none; yet he was, nevertheless, prompt and 
regular. On the first day of his service there, his 
senior emplo^-er threw down a cop>' of Black- 
stone before him, with a bang that made the dust 
fly, saying "That's where they all begin." A 
titter ran around the little circle of clerks and 
students, as they thought that was enough to 
scare young Grover out of his plans; but in due 
time he mastered that cumbersome volume. 
Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleve- 
land exhibited a talent for executiveness rather 
than for chasing principles through all their 
metaphysical possibilities. "Let us quit talking 
and go and do it, ' ' was practically his motto. 

The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland 
was elected was that of Sheriff of Erie County, 
N. Y., in which Buffalo is situated; and in such 
capacity it fell to his duty to inflict capital punish- 
ment upon two criminals. In iSSi he was 
elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo, on the 
Democratic ticket, with especial reference to bring- 
ing about certain reforms in the administration 
of the municipal affairs of that city. In this of- 
fice, as well as in that of .Sheriff, his performance 
of duty has generall)- been considered fair, with 
possibly a few exceptions, which were ferreted 
out and magnified during his Presidential cam- 
paign. As a specimen of his plain language in 
a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an 



iniquitous street-cleaning contract; "This is a 
time for plain speech, and my objection to 30ur 
action shall be plainly stated. I regard it as the 
culmination of a most bare-faced, impudent and 
shameless scheme to betra}- the interests of the 
people and to worse than squander the people's 
mone_\-." The New York Sii/i afterward verj- 
highly commended Mr. Cleveland's administra- 
tion as Mayor of Buffalo, and thereupon recom- 
mended him for Governor of the Empire State. 
To the latter office he was elected in 1882, and 
his administration of the affairs of State was 
generally satisfactorj-. The mistakes he made, 
if an\-, were made very public throughout the na- 
tion after he was nominated for President of the 
United States. For this high office he was 
nominated Jul}- 11, 1884, by the National Demo- 
cratic Convention at Chicago, when other com- 
petitors were Thomas F. Bajard, Roswell P. 
Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, Benjamin F. 
Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he was 
elected by the people, by a majority of about a 
thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Re- 
publican statesman, James G. Blaine. President 
Cleveland resigned his office as Governor of New 
York in January, 1SS5, in order to prepare for 
his duties as the Chief Executive of the United 
States, in which capacity his term conuuenced at 
noon on the 4th of March, 1885. 

The silver question precipitated a controversy 
between those who were in favor of the continu- 
ance of silver coinage and those who were op- 
posed, Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, 
even before his inauguration. 

On June 2, 1886, Pre.sident Cleveland married 
Frances, daughter of his deceased friend and part- 
ner, Oscar Folsom, of the Buffalo Bar. Their 
union has been blessed by the birth of two daugh- 
ters. In the campaign of 1S88, President Cleve- 
land was renominated by his party, but the 
Republican candidate. Gen. Benjamin Harrison, 
was victorious. In the nominations of 1892 
these two candidates for the highest position in 
the gift of the people were again pitted against 
each other, and in the cn.suing election President 
Cle\-eland was victorious by an overwhelming 
majority. 




B1-: NJ A M 1 N H A R K I SOX. 



BENJAMIN HARRISON. 



QENJAMIN HARRISON, the twenty-third 
jC\ President, is the descendant of one of the 
L^ historical families of this country. The first 
known head of the family was Maj.-Gen. Harrison, 
one of Oliver Cromwell's trusted followers and 
fighters. In the zenith of Cromwell's power it be- 
came the duty of this Harrison to participate in 
the trial of Charles I., and afterward to sign the 
death warrant of the king. He subsequently 
paid for this with his life, being hung October 13, 
1660. His descendants came to America, and 
the next of the family that appears in histor>' is 
Benjamin Harrison, of Virginia, great-grandfa- 
ther of the subject of this sketch, and after whom 
he was named. Benjamin Harrison was a mem- 
ber of the Continental Congress during the }-ears 
1774, 1775 and 1776, and was one of the original 
signers of the Declaration of Independence. He 
was three times elected Governor of Virginia. 

Gen. William Henn,- Harri.son, the son of the 
distinguished patriot of the Revolution, after a 
successful career as a soldier during the War of 
1 812, and with a clean record as Governor of the 
Northwestern Territory, was elected President of 
the United States in 1840. His career was cut 
short by death within one month after his in- 
auguration. 

President Harrison was born at North Bend, 



Hamilton County, Ohio, August 20, 1833. His 
life up to the time of his graduation from Miami 
University, at Oxford, Ohio, was the uneventful' 
one of a countn- lad of a family of small means. 
His father was able to give him a good education, 
and nothing more. He became engaged while at 
college to the daughter of Dr. Scott, Principal of 
a female school at Oxford. After graduating, he 
determined to enter upon the study of law. He 
went to Cincinnati and there read law for two 
years. At the expiration of that time young Har- 
rison received the only inheritance of his life — his 
aunt, dying, left him a lot valued at $800. He 
regarded this legacy as a fortune, and decided to 
get married at once, take this monej' and go to 
some Eastern town and begin the practice of law. 
He sold his lot, and, with the money in his pocket, 
he .started out with his young wife to fight for a 
place in the world. He decided to go to Indian- 
apolis, which was even at that time a town of 
promise. He met with slight encouragement at 
first, making scarcely anything the first year. 
He worked diligently, applying himself closely to 
his calling, built up an extensive practice and 
took a leading rank in the legal profession. 

In i860, Mr. Harrison was nominated for the 
position of Supreme Court Reporter, and then be- 
gan his experience as a stump speaker. He can- 



io8 



BENJAMIN HARRISON. 



vassed the State thoroughly, and was elected by 
a handsome majority. In 1862 he raised the 
/, Seventeenth Indiana Infantry, and was chosen its 
Colonel. His regiment was composed of the raw- '■ 
est material, but Col. Harrison employed all his 
time at first in mastering military tactics and drill- 
ing his men, and when he came to move toward 
the East with Sherman, his regiment was one of 
the best drilled and organized in the army. At 
Resaca he especially distinguished himself, and 
for his bravery at Peachtree Creek he was made 
a Brigadier-General, Gen. Hooker speaking of 
him in the most complimentary' terms. 

During the absence of Gen. Harrison in the 
field, the Supreme Court declared the office of 
Supreme Court Reporter vacant, and another 
person was elected to the position. From the : 
time of leaving Indiana with his regiment until 
the fall of 1S64 he had taken no leave of absence, ! 
but having been nominated that year for the same 
office, he got a thirty-day leave of absence, and 
during that time made a brilliant canvass of the 
State, and was elected for another term. He then 
started to rejoin Sherman, but on the way was 
stricken down with scarlet fever, and after a most 
trying attack made his way to the front in time to 
participate in the closing incidents of the war. 

In 1868 Gen. Harrison declined a re-election 
as Reporter, and resumed the practice of law. In 
1876 he was a candidate for Governor. Although 
defeated, the brilliant campaign he made won for 
him a national reputation, and he was much sought 
after, especially in the East, to make speeches. 
In 1880, as usual, he took an active part in the 
campaign, and was elected to the United* States 
Senate. Here he served for six years, and was 
known as one of the ablest men, best lawyers and 
strongest debaters in that body. With the ex- 
piration of his senatorial term he returned to the 
practice of his profession, becoming the head of 
one of the strongest firms in the State. 

The political campaign of 1888 was one of the 
most memorable in the history of our countr}'. 
The convention which assembled in Chicago in 
June and named Mr. Harrison as the chief stand- 
ard-bearer of the Republican party was great in 
every particular, and on this account, and the at- 



titude it assumed upon the vital questions of the 
day, chief among which was the tariff, awoke a 
deep interest in the campaign throughout the 
nation. Shortly after the nomination, delegations 
began to visit Mr. Harrison at Indianapolis, his 
home. This movement became popular, and from 
all sections of the country societies, clubs and 
delegations journeyed thither to pay their re- 
spects to the distinguished statesman. 

Mr. Harrison spoke daily all through the sum- 
mer and autumn to these visiting delegations, 
and so varied, masterly, and eloquent were his 
speeches that they at once placed him in the fore- 
most rank of American orators and statesmen. 
Elected by a handsome majority, he ser\-ed his 
country faithfully and well, and in 1892 was nom- 
inated for re-election; but the people demanded a 
change and he was defeated by his predecessor 
in office, Grover Cleveland. 

On account of his eloquence as a speaker and 
his power as a debater, Gen. Harrison was called 
upon at an early age to take part in the dis- 
cussion of the great questions that then began to 
agitate the country. He was an uncompromising 
anti-slavery man, and was matched against some 
of the most eminent Democratic speakers of his 
State. No man who felt the touch of his blade 
desired to be pitted with him again. With all 
his eloquence as an orator he never spoke for ora- 
torical effect, but his words always went like bul- 
lets to the mark. He is purel)- American in his 
ideas, and is a splendid type of the American 
statesman. Gifted with quick perception, a logi- 
cal mind and a ready tongue, he is one of the 
most distinguished impromptu speakers in the 
nation. Many of these speeches sparkled with the 
rarest eloquence and contained arguments of great 
weight, and many of his terse statements have 
already become aphorisms. Original in thought, 
precise in logic, terse in statement, j-et withal 
faultless in eloquence, he is recognized as the 
sound statesman and brilliant orator of the day. 
During the last days of his administration Presi- 
dent Harrison suffered an irreparable loss in the 
death of his devoted wife, Caroline (Scott) Har- 
rison, a lady of many womanly charms and vir- 
tues. They were the parents of two children. 



S§N§CA AND §6HUYl5§R 60UNTI§S 



NEW YORK 



INTRODUCTORY 



HE time has arrived when it becomes the duty of the people of this county to perpetuate- the 
names of their pioneers, to furnish a record of their early settlement, and relate the storv of 
their progress. The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age, and the duty that 
men of the present time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity, demand that a 
record of their lives and deeds should be made. In biographical history is found a power to instruct 
man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down the river of time a safe 
vessel in which the name.s and actions of the people who contributed to rai.se this couiitr>- from its 
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidh- the great and aged men, who in tlieir prime 
entered the wilderne.ss and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, are pas.sing to their graves. 
The number remaining who can relate the incidents of the first days of .settlement is becoming small 
indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of events without delay, 
before all the earlj- settlers are cut down by the .scythe of Time. 

To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind from remotest ages. All will be foro^otten 
soon enough, in spite of their best works and the most earnest efforts of their friends to preserve the 
memory of their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion and to perpetuate their memory 
have been in proportion to the amount of intelligence they possessed. The pyramids of Egypt were 
built to perpetuate the names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhumations made by the 
archaeologists of Egypt from buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people to perpetuate the 
memory of their achievements. The erection of the great obelisks was for the same purpose. 
Coming down to a later period, we find the Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and 
monuments, and carving out statues to chronicle their great achievements and carry them down the 
ages. It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling up their great mounds of earth, had but 
this idea — to leave something to show that they had lived. All these works, though many of them 
costly in the extreme, give but a faint idea of the lives and character of those who.se memory they 
were intended to perpetuate, and .scarcely anything of the masses of the people that then lived. The 
great pyramids and some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; the mausoleums, 
monuments and statues are crumbling into dust. 

It was left to modern ages to establish an intelligent, undecaying, immutable method of 
perpetuating a full history — imnuitable in that it is almost unlimited in extent and perpetual in its 
action; and this is through the art of printing. 

To the present generation, however, we are indebted for tlie introduction of the admirable 
system of local biography. By this system every man, tliough he has not achieved what the world 
calls greatness, has the means to ])erpetuate his life, his histor\-, througii the conung ages. 

The .scythe of Time cuts down all; nothing of the ph\-sical man is left. The monument udiich 
his children or friends may erect to his memory in the cemetery will crumble into dust and pa.ss 
away; but his life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished, which otiierwise would be 
forgotten, is perpetuated by a record of this kind. 

To preserve the lineaments of our companions we engrave their portraits; for the same reason 
we collect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we think it necessary, as we speak oidy 
truth of them, to wait until they are dead, or until those who know them are gone; to do this we 
are ashamed only to publish to the world the history of those who.se lives are unwortln- of p\tblic 
record. 




HON. DAVID H. EVANS. 



^^. }(^.^. 




-^^V V.rt 



^2>^* "X^L 



WON. DAVID H. EVANS. In the town of 
Tyre, Seneca Connty, are many wealthy 
agriculturists who have done much toward 
aclvancing its interests and are progressi\-e in 
everything. Among this number we make prom- 
inent mention of Mr. Evans, who was born in the 
same house wherein he now lives, December 7, 
1837. His parents were John G. and Mary 
(Hess) Evans, the former of whom was born in 
Worcestershire, England, .September i, 1793. He 
was in his ninth year when the journe}- was made 
to America witli his parents. John Evans, the 
grandfather, was a carpenter in limited circum- 
stances, and made his home in Peterboro, Madi- 
son County, X. Y., where his death occurred. 

After the death of his father, John G., then a 
lad of fourteen years, was compelled to assist in 
supporting the family. He was the eldest but 
one, and besides his mother the hou.sehold in- 
cluded five children. He obtained work in a 
glass factory in Peterboro, and there became a 
boss blower, receiving good pay for his services, 
and remaining thus employed until thirty years 
of age. In Peterboro he was married to his 
first wife. Miss Mary Mooney, by whom he be- 
came the father of ten children, of whom only 
one is now living. This lady died in the above 
village, and Mr. Evans was then united in mar- 
riage with the mother of our subject, who was a 
native of Albany County, N. Y. Their union 



was blessed by the birth of one son, the original 
of this sketch. 

About the year 1S23 John G. Evans abandoned 
the business of a gla.ss blower, and, purchasing 
a farm in Madison County, lived there until 1837. 
That year he came to Seneca County and liecame 
the proprietor of a tract of two hundred and thir- 
t\ -five acres, on which our subject now makes 
his home. This he improved in the best pos- 
sible manner, and here he made his home during 
the remainder of his life. He was a true-blue 
Republican after the organization of the party, 
and on that ticket was elected Justice of the 
Peace, holding the office for four years. He be- 
came identified with the Methodist Epi.scopal 
Church in Peterboro, and continued a member 
of that denomination until his decease, or for a 
period of forty-five years. He was liberal in his 
contributions to the support of church work, 
and was Class- Leader for some time. Although 
possessing only an ordinary education, he was a 
great reader and deep thinker. He lived to be 
eighty-four years of age, dying July 15, 1S77. 
His good wife preceded him to the better land, 
passing away November 19, 1875, and they were 
laid side by side in Evans' Cemetery, near our 
subject's home. 

David H., of this sketch, was a very bright 
and apt pupil during his school days, and made 
rapid progress in his studies. When seventeen 



Ii8 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, 



years of age he entered Ft. Plain Seminary, in 
Montsomery County, taking a course of two 
years and pursuing the higher branches. After 
completing his education hebgan teaching school, 
receiving Si per day for his first term. He was 
gradually given a larger sum, until he earned S3 
per day, which was considered very good pay for 
that period. He taught, however, only during 
the winter season, spending his summers in help- 
ing in the farm work. 

Mr. Evans was married, February 25, 1864, to 
Miss Catherine Wurts, then a resident of the 
town of Savannah, Wayne County, N. V., al- 
though her birth occurred in Tompkins County. 
She was taken to Wayne County when a babe 
of two years by her parents, Mathuselum and 
Catherine ( Du Bois) Wurts. By her union with 
our subject there were born five children, of 
whom we give the following history: Clara B. 
married Kent Whipple, a manufacturer of brass 
fixtures of Hamilton, Canada. !Mar\- W. is a 
graduate of the Brockport Normal School, and 
is at present engaged in teaching at Yonkers, 
N. Y. Edwin G. .spent two years in attendance 
at Ft. Plain Seminary, but is now at home. Ber- 
tha B., a graduate of the Geneseo Normal School, 
is a music teacher of great talent. Maude died 
when six years of age. The mother of this family 
departed this life December 21, 1885, and was 
buried in Evans' Cemetery. March 9, 1893, Mr. 
Evans was married to Mrs. Catherine (Stephens) 
Ransom, of Cayuga County. 

Following in the footsteps of his honored fa- 
ther, our subject is a Republican in politics, and 
cast his first Presidential vote for Lincoln in 
i860. He was elected Constable in 1863, and 
the following year was the successful candidate 
for the office of Collector. In 1866 he became 
Justice of the Peace, and two years later was 
made Supervisor. He entered upon the duties of 
this office before the expiration of his term as 
Justice of the Peace, and it is worth v of interest to 
note that he was tlie first man but one elected Su- 
pervisor in the town of Tyre for a period of twenty 
years. He did not become a candidate in 1869, 
but was elected again in 1870, and for six con- 
secutive vears held the oflice. 



In the fall of 1877 Mr. Evans was nominated 
for the Assembly on the Republican ticket, but 
by only .seventy-seven votes was defeated by Died- 
rich Willers, who had been Secretary of State. 
Previous to that time there had been a strong 
Democratic majority, and onlj- one Republican 
had been elected in the county for a period of 
forty years. In the fall of 1878. however, Mr. 
Evans was again nominated, and this time was 
elected by eight hiuidred and eighty-four major- 
ity. He was thus a member of the Legislature 
of 1879, which was the first to meet in the new 
Capitol at Albany. On the expiration of his 
term he was made his own successor, and during 
his incumbency of the position served on many 
important committees, being at one time Chair- 
man of the Committee on Internal Affairs. In 
the fall of 188 1 he was elected to the State Sen- 
ate, representing the counties of Seneca, Cayuga, 
Tompkins and Tioga, and being a member of 
that body for the years 1882 and 1885. While 
there he served on the Canal, State's Prison and 
Insurance Committees. 

Mr. Evans has attended many .state conventions 
as a delegate, and, with two exceptions, has been 
present at every county convention for thirty 
years. He is recognized as one of the safe coun- 
selors of the Republican party in this part of the 
state, and for many years has borne an influen- 
tial part in its aff"airs. His first purchase of land 
was in the town of Savannah, Wayne County, 
but this he later sold, and about 1870, in com- 
pany with George A. Farrand, bought two hun- 
dred and lwent\-five acres in Wa\ne County. 
For ten years following he was successfully en- 
gaged in buying and shipping stock, handling 
from two thousand to three thousand head of cat- 
tle per year. 

After the death of his father our subject pur- 
chased the interest of the other heirs in the es- 
tate, and has since made it his home. He has 
bought and sold land (juite extensively, and is 
now the owner of three hundred and sixt\- acres 
of valuable farming land, besides a tract of two 
hundred and fift\' acres of swamp land, which is 
covered with timber. In addition to this, he has 
one thousand acres of marsh land. He has been 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



119 



the executor of several large estates, among them 
being those of Hiram Scutt and Gideon Rainsdell. 
He was made guardian of two children belonging 
to the former gentleman, rearing them to mature 
years. The latter estate was valued at $60,000, 
and in order to settle affairs Mr. Evans sold off 
two thousand acres of land. He is a very valu- 
able man in the community, and for the last thirty 
years has been called upon to draw up contracts, 
and draft wills, deeds and other valuable papers. 



— ♦>n 




+^. 



I EE BRADFORD WEBB. This prominent 
It resident of the town of Orange, Schujler 
|_2f Countj-, needs no introduction to our read- 
ers, for he is well known throughout this section 
as the popular Postma.ster of Sugar Hill, which 
office he has held since his appointment under 
President Hayes' administration. He is likewise 
the efficient Supervisor of the town of Orange, 
and in addition to discharging the duties of these 
positions, gives much time and attention to his 
farming interests. 

Mr. Webb has always lived in this county, 
having been born in Sugar Hill, August 7, 1859. 
His parents, David and Julia (Burt) Webb, still 
reside in Sugar Hill, where the father was born 
on the same farm as was our subject, December 
12, 1822. He, in turn, was the son of \\'illiam 
Webb, who was born in Goshen, Orange Coun- 
ty, January 17, 1791. He was united in mar- 
riage with Catherine Forshee, and by this union 
were born twelve children. Eight of the number 
married and had families, and of the.se we make 
the following mention: Charles departed this life 
in Ohio, July i, 1SS3; Barnard, who was a resi- 
dent of Dundee, died Augu.st 27, 1882; Bradford 
died July 2, 1893, and was buried on the Fourth 
of July; David, the father of our subject, was the 



sixth-born; Gates is also deceased; Mary Ann 
married John Hue}-, and died in Tyrone, Sep- 
tember 24, 1S64; Hannah became the wife of 
Henry Horton, and makes her home at Sugar 
Hill, which is also the dwelling-place of Mary, 
now Mrs. Sylvester Kent. 

In 18 18 the grandparents located in Schuyler 
County, but previous to this time had removed to 
the town of Lodi from Orange County, and on 
settling here took up a quarter-section of land, 
which is still held in the family. The grand- 
father, who was A.ssessor of his town for a num- 
ber of years, and held the office of Posstmaster, 
died January 4, 1879, aged eighty-eight years. 
His good wife, however, preceded him to the land 
beyond many j'ears. For a period of sixty-two 
j-ears he had been a resident of the old home 
farm, which he purcha.sed in its primitive state 
and improved. Some fifteen j-ears prior to his 
demise, however, he disposed of his estate to his 
two sons, David and Bradford. He was very 
prominent in his coir.nuuiity, and lived retired 
for several years. During the War of 18 12 he 
served as a drummer on Staten Lsland, and in 
the later years of his life was granted a pension. 

The father of our subject cho.se for his first 
wife Miss Anna Smith, who died leaving no fam- 
ily. He then chose as his companion Miss Julia 
Burt, who is still his cheerful helpmate. David 
Webb is a well preserved old gentleman, and 
takes a decided interest in the affairs of his com- 
munity. For many years he voted the Demo- 
cratic ticket, but is now a strong Prohibitionist, 
and has done much toward furthering the inter- 
est of the good work of temperance in his com- 
munity. 

The parental family included four children, ot 
whom Samuel B. was the eldest; he is a substan- 
tial farmer, and is now living in Sugar Hill. 
Flora A. is unmarried and keeps house for her 
brother Lee, who was the third of the hou.sehold. 
Eva L. is the wife of Martin Howell, who resides 
on his farm near Dundee. 

The subject of this sketch is well educated, 
having received a thorough common-school edu- 
cation, finishing with two terms in Starkey 
Seminary. On reaching his majority, he began 



I20 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



fanning on a tract of eighty acres, fifty of which 
formed part of the old homestead. His marriage 
occurred Januar\- 2, 1883, when Miss Mary Ma- 
creery Ijecame his wife. She was the daughter of 
WilHam and Margaret (Totten) Macreery, who 
are at present residing in Townsend, although 
they were living at Sugar Hill at the time of their 
daughter's birth. Mrs. Webb departed this life 
June 6, 1S87, after nearly a year's illness, leav- 
ing two sons: Seth William, born on Christmas 
Day, 1883: and Arthur David, born February 25, 
1885. 

Mr. Webb has made the most of his moiie\- by 
farming and stock-raising. It is said that there 
are but two flocks of Cheviot sheep in Schuyler 
Count\-, and one of these is owned bv Mr. Webb. 



He also breeds horned Dorset sheep, and exhibits 
both breeds at the county fairs. He is a mem- 
ber of the Fair Association. 

Ever since eighteen years of age our subject 
has been prominently before the public in some 
capacity. On attaining his majority, he was the 
successful candidate for the office of Inspector of 
Elections, which he held for three or four years, 
and in February, 1894, he was elected Town 
Supervisor. He has been very influential in the 
councils of the Democratic party, having attend- 
ed both county and congressional conventions, 
and has never missed casting his vote since twen- 
ty-one years old. He is Treasurer and one of the 
Trustees of Sugar Hill Presbyterian Church, of 
which his good wife was a member. 




M 








w 


\^^k 


\ 


^^^^L (i^^^K^HPr ! 



DIEDRICH WILLERS, D. D. 




DIKDRICII WILI^ERvS. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



HON. DIEDRICH WILLERS. 



N 



ON. DIEDRICH WILLERS, a distin- 
guished figure in New York politics, and 
widely known as one of the leading men of 



the state, was born November 3, 1833 



the 



town of Varick, Seneca Count}-, and passed his 
childhood and 5-outh under the instruction of a 
father no le.ss distinguished in his sacred calling. 
He was the sou of Rev. Diedrich W'illers, D. D. , 
who was born in Walle, near Bremen, Germany, 
and who wrote his name in indelible letters upon 
the records of the Reformed Church in this and 
adjoining counties. 

Dr. Willers was born February 6, 1798, and 
entered the German army to resist the aggres- 
sions of Napoleon when only sixteen years of 
age, and served therein with marked ability. He 
participated in the great .struggle of Waterloo, in 
June, 1815, and counted it a mercy of Providence 
that he was not killed or injured on that dread- 
ful day when his company and battalion were 
almost destroyed, his immediate company lo.sing 
all but twelve privates and two non-comnii.ssioned 
officers out of one hundred and twenty officers 
and men who entered the battle. The battalion 
of four hundred men was reduced to less than 
eighty men. He served in the army of Hanover 
for five years, and when discharged received a 
silver medal for conspicuous bravery. In 1819 he 
came to America, landing in Baltimore, Md., at 
which time he had onlv a few dollars in his 



pocket; but he had a vastly more valuable capital 
in unshaken courage, a good education and a 
Christian character. Later he found employment 
as a teacher in York County, Pa. 

In early life Dr. Willers made some preparation 
for the ministry, completing his studies in Pjenn- 
sylvania. He entered upon his ministry in Sen- 
eca County, N. Y., in April, 182 1, and in Octo- 
ber, 182 1, was ordained to the ministry of the 
Reformed Church of the United States, formerly 
known as the German Reformed. He served 
Christ Church at Bearytown for sixty years and 
eight months consecutively, and at the .same time 
had a widely extended mini.stry throughout all 
the adjacent country. To reach his remote ap- 
pointments he was compelled to take long jour- 
neys on horseback, and it is estimated that during 
these .sixty years he traveled more than eighty 
thou.sand miles. He was devoted to his calling, 
and only retired from it when absolutely com- 
pelled to by his failing health. 

During these years Dr. Willers bore a conspic- 
uous part in the hi.story of this country. He 
earnestly battled again.st the Mormon delusion, 
at the time when Joseph Smith first organized in 
Fayette, in 1830. July 4, 1826, he preached a 
sermon on the .semi-centennial of American Inde- 
pendence, and livfed to assist in the centennial 
service of 1876. He took an active part in 
arousing patriotic .sentiment at the outbreak of 



124 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD. 



the Rebellion, in 1861. He was honored and be- 
loved by thousands of personal friends, flrawn to 
him by the fervor of his preaching and the purity 
of his heart and soul, and his name is a heritage 
nobler than money or lands to his children. His 
degree of Doctor of Divinity was received from 
Franklin and Marshall College, at Lancaster, Pa. 
Dr. Willers died May 13, 1883, at the age of 
eiglity-fi\e. His wife was a descendant of a Pal- 
atinate German family, which located at New 
Holland, Lancaster County, Pa., where she was 
born November 28, 1797. She died November 

24, 1879, aged eight3'-two. 

Rev. Dr. Willers and his wife had a family of 
eight children, of whom two died in infiinc)-. 
Two sons and four daughters attained years of 
maturity. Margaret Amelia, who was born July 

25, 1825, married Charles Bachman, of Fayette; 
she is still living, and has one child, Carlton \V., 
of Rochester, N. Y. Emma C, whose birth 
occurred December 7, 1826, became the wile of 
John S. Reed, of Fayette, and at her death, Feb- 
ruary 15, 1872, left two daughters. Frances S., 
born June 3, 1828, married George Pontius, of 
Fayette, and died May 22, 1859, leaving three 
daughters and one son: the latter, George W. 
Pontius, of Seneca Falls, recently served a term 
as District Attorney of Seneca County. Next in 
order of birth is the subject of this sketch. Caro- 
line Lydia, the youngest daughter, was born May 
21, 1836, and became the second wife of John S. 
Reed, of Fayette; she is still living. 

Calvin Willers, who was born l)ecend)er 9, 
1840, was the youngest child in the family. He 
received an academic education, and in earlj' 
manhood taught lor a number of years in district 
schools of the county. In the spring of 1867 he 
was elected Supervisor of\'arick, and in 1868 
was re-elected without opposition. In Novem- 
ber, 1868, he was elected Clerk of Seneca County 
and served a term of three years. In January, 
1874, he entered upon the duties of Chief Clerk in 
the office of the Secretary of State at Albany 
(then filled by his brother 1 , and this position he 
held until his death, April 9, 1875. During the 
latter part of his life he studied law and, had he 
lived, he would have been admitted to the Bar at 



the session of court the month following his de- 
mise. In April, 1872, he married Miss Elizabeth 
Kennedy, of Covert, who, with a son, Diedrich 
K., and daughter, Calvina, survives. 

Diedrich Willers, the subject of this sketch, was 
brought uyi by his father with the design of mak- 
ing him a minister. He was carefully instructed 
in the German language and in clas.sical litera- 
ture, but his life did not conform to his father's 
planning. At sixteen he began to teach school 
for $12 a month, out of which he had to board 
himself. When tw-enty-two years old he entered 
a printing-office with the expectation of becoming 
a journalist, but this occupation did not agree 
with his health, and he turned to the study of 
law as affording a more desirable field of labor. 
He was admitted to the Bar, but never prac- 
ticed. In politics he found his mo.st congenial 
career. In the year 1856 he was a .strong sup- 
porter of James Buchanan, and in the following 
year was no less active in behalf of Gideon J. 
Tucker, who was running as candidate for Secre- 
tary of State. He was elected, and his young 
and enthusiastic supporter was rewarded with 
the appointment of a clerkship at Albany. This 
position he retained until 1863, when he was 
selected by Gov. Horatio Seymour to act as his 
Private Secretarj-. This was during the most 
trying period of the Civil War, and the questions 
and responsibilities that met him were difficult 
and onerous, but he discharged them with such 
distinguished ability that he won the warm per- 
sonal friendship of the ''Sage of Deerfield," a 
friendship that he retained as long as that great 
statesman survived. When Governor Seymour 
retired from office Mr. Willers came back to \'a- 
rick, where he remained for two years. During 
this period, in 1865-66, he was elected Super- 
visor of Varick, and officiated as Chairman of the 
Board, rendering vahlable .service in the settle- 
ment of accounts growing out of the Civil War. 

In 1867 Mr. Willers was appointed Deputy 
Secretary of State by Hon. Homer A. Nelson. 
This position he held for four years, and met its 
responsibilities in .so capable a manner that he 
was nominated for the office of Secretary of State 
in 1 87 I. He failed of election, but it is recorded 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



125 



to his credit that his vote exceeded that given to 
any other candidate on the Democratic ticket. 
The next year Governor Iloffman made him As- 
sistant Paymaster-General, with the rank of Col- 
onel. The following year he was chosen one of the 
.secretaries of the Constitntional Convention, then 
in session at Albany, and the same year, 1873, he 
was renominated as the Democratic candidate for 
Secretary of State, being elected by more than ten 
thousand majority, his opponent, Mr. Thayer, 
being one of the most popular Republicans of 
the state. On the occasion of his second nomi- 
nation Mr. Willers received a most flattering and 
complimentary connnendation from Governor 
Seymour. He was pronounced an ideal candi- 
date and a faithful public servant. In 1875 he 
was a'.;ain solicited to be a candidate, but de- 
clined. The state census of the latter year was 
taken under his direction. 

Mr. Willers availed himself of his freedom from 
public affairs to visit Europe the following year, 
and devoted much tinte to his father's birthplace 
and native country, and while there visited the 
battlefield of Waterloo. He spent some three 
months in this delightful way, and returned home 
to quietly live on his farm in the midst of his 
friends and neighbors, who were proud of the 
energy and capacity that had lifted him from 
obscurity into fame and honor. In 1877 he was 
elected to the State Legislature, serving a year in 
that body, and doing much hard work for the 
state. He has manifested rare powers in solving 
difficult que.stions and bringing order out of confu- 
sion. His intellectual abilities are of a high 
order, and have been recognized not only in a 
practical way in the affairs of life, but also by 
institutions that are purely educational. In 1875 
he received the honorary degree of A. M. from 
Union College, and at a later date the same de- 
gree from Hamilton College. He took an active 
interest in the Seneca County centennial celebra- 
tion, held in Waterloo in 1879, and compiletl the 
historical account thereof, published by the Wa- 
terloo Library and Historical Society. He has 
devoted niucli time to historical research, and de- 
livered the historical address at the centennial 
celebration of the town of Romulus, June 13, 



1894. Mr. Willers takes a deep interest in the 
welfare of the old church in which his father so 
long officiated, and of which he is a member and 
officer. 

Mr. Willers married Mrs. Mary A. Randall, of 
Varick, March 16, 1892. They have no children, 
and make their home on the old farm where he 
was born. During the active years of his life he 
was known as Diedrich Willers, Jr., but the suf- 
fix to his name has been dropped since his father's 
death. 




KEY. GILBERT TRAVIS. Among the well 
known and influential residents of the town 
of Junius, Seneca County, is Mr. Travis, 
who devotes his time and attention to the raising 
of all kinds of fruit; he is also greatly interested 
in the production of poultr\- and eggs. The 
products of his farm are of the best quality, and 
he finds a ready market for them in the surround- 
ing villages and cities. 

Mr. Travis is a native of this state, and was 
born in Westchester County, January 29, 1823, 
to Joseph and Hester (Reynolds ) Travis He 
was a lad of thirteen years when his parents re- 
moved to .Syracuse, where they made their home 
for about a year. After farming on a tract of 
land near that place for one year, they dispo.sed of 
it and came to the town of Junius. Here the 
father made his home for two years and a-half, 
after which he returned to Westchester Ccjunty. 
Our subject, however, remained here with his 
wife, to whom he had been married a short time. 
He was educated in the .schools of the neighbor- 
hood, and when about tweiits' vears of age was 
awarded a certificate to teach, and had no difti- 
culty in obtaining a school. After his marriage, 
however, he abandoned that vocation and began 
farming on shares for his tather-in-law. 

WHien .seventeen years of age, Mr. Travis was 
converted and became a member of the Methodist 



126 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Episcopal Church. After locating in this county 
he was appointed Class-leader of the church at 
Tjre, and soon after was licensed as a local ex- 
horter. He was then made Deacon of his con- 
gregation, and subsequenth' was ordained Elder 
by Bishop Janes. About 1855 he held his first 
charge at West Junius, under Presiding Elder 
Dr. F. S. Hih)bard. He did not continue in the 
ministry very long, however, resigning his posi- 
tion to establish himself in the grocer}- business. 
After being thus engaged for about a year, he 
\vas appointed to sell a large stock of books 
which the church had on hand, giving his at- 
tention to the work for a year. After this he 
went to New York City and for one year carried 
on a good trade as a feed merchant. He was 
obliged to leave the city, however, a j-ear there- 
after, on account of the illne.ss of his wife, and, 
coming to this town, purchased the forty acres of 
land on which he now lives. After presiding 
over the churches of Sodus Center and Alton, in 
Wayne County, for one year, he went to South 
Sodus, and was in charge of a church there for 
one year, after which he returned to his farm. 
Here he has set out all kinds of fruit and derives 
a handsome income from the sale of poultry and 
eggs. 

Rev. Mr. Travis has traveled quite extensively 
through the Central and some of the Western 
States, and although well pleased with the coun- 
try, is satisfied to spend the remainder of his life 
in his native state. He was married to Miss 
Clarissa Grote, but after twenty-five years of 
happy life together, she was called to her final 
home. Mr. Travis afterward chose for his wife 
Mrs. Carrie Roberson, by whom he has become 
the father of a son, John Lewis, who is now en- 
gaged in keeping books for a firm in Seneca Falls. 
Mrs. Carrie Travis died May 9, 1895. In poli- 
tics our subject was in early life a Republican, 
but of late years, having had cause to change his 
views, has been a firm supporter of Prohibition 
principles. His record for officiating at weddings 
and funerals is surpassed by only one other min- 
ister in the town of Junius. The same may be 
said of the calls made for speeches at various 
meetings and .social gatherings. Mr. Travis is 



one of the two members now living who voted 
for the official board at the time the first Method- 
l.st Episcopal Church was established here fifty- 
five years ago. At the fiftieth anniversary of the 
church he made the address in the evening, and 
at that time gave the names of all the preachers 
and presiding elders who had ever had charge of 
the church up to that time, and the names and 
description of the class-leaders and their qualifi- 
cations, all of which was given from memorv. 



^ .(s), .^^Ms_ 



HON. PEREZ HASTINGS FIELD. A 
plain statement of the facts embraced in the 
life of Mr. Field, formerly well and favora- 
bly known to the people of Schuyler County, is 
all that we profess to be able to give in this vol- 
ume. Yet, upon examination of these facts, 
there will be found the career of one whose entire 
course was marked by great honesty and fidelity 
of purpose. He followed the active and industri- 
ous life of a business man and met with substan- 
tial results, possessing at the time of his decease 
a fine farm in the town of Hector, besides nuich 
other valuable property. 

Mr. Field was born in Geneva, this state, in 
1820, and met his death August 31, 1872, by be- 
ing drowned during a collision on Long Island 
Sound. His parents were David and Electa 
(Hastings) Field, natives of Deerfield, Mass. 
Our subject, however, passed his boyhood days 
in his native place, and was there well educated. 
He was a great reader, and during his life 
gathered a fine collection of books, on the merits 
of which he was well informed. He early in life 
assisted in the support of the family, and when 
ready to engage in business on his own account 
began dealing in grain in Geneva. He erected a 
grain elevator at that place, and also owned a 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



12: 



malthouse, which he disposed of a short time 
prior to his decease. He purchased grain from 
the farmers along both sides of Lake Seneca, 
and at one lime was honored by ha\'ing a boat 
bearing his name. PoHtically he was a very 
prominent Republican, and on this ticket was 
elected to the A.ssembly in 1865, being twice re- 
turned to that bod\-. At the time of liis death he 
was temporarily out of business. 

Hon. Perez H. Field was married, December 
23, 1869, in Albany, to Miss Clara Eddy, of that 
city. Her girlhood days were passed in Ohio, 
although her education was completed in the fine 
schools of Albany and Xew York City. In 1866 
her husband purchased the fine properly on Lake 
Seneca, near Peach Orchard, where his widow 
now resides. Until his decease Mr. Field spent 
his summers at this beautiful home, which the 
family has since continued to do. It contains 
about eighty acres, eighteen of which are devoted 
to a vineyard, and ten or fifteen acres to other 
fruits. It is an exceptionally beautiful place and 
is also very remunerative and valuable. 

To our subject and his devoted wife there were 
born two children. Alice Electa, a talented musi- 
cian, was educated at Geneva, N. Y. ; and Will- 
iam Perez is pursuing his studies at Yale and 
will be graduated with the Class of '96. Mr. 
Field was a shrew-d and successful business man 
and took great interest in public matters. 






/5)RANT v. HOUCK. Agriculture has one of 
I— its mo.st energetic representatives in the 
\J^ young gentleman whose name appears at 
the head of this sketch. Although only twenty- 
eight years of age, he is carrying on operations 
on a fine tract of land in the town of Tyrone, 
Schuyler County, and is meeting with decided 
success in his undertakings. 



The father of our subject was the late Henry 
Houck. whn was born in Wayne, Steuben Coun- 
ty, this state, October 25, 18 14. Mrs. Houck 
bore the maiden name of Melinda Taylor, and 
was born in March, 18 19. Upon commencing life 
together they first located in the southwestern part 
of the town of Tyrone, and after a residence there 
of about two years changed their location to the 
town of Wayne, Steuben County. There the fa- 
ther was very successful in his farming opera- 
tions and made it his home until 1S80. In May 
of that year we find that he moved with his fam- 
ily into the village of \A'ayne, where he departed 
this life October 25, 1S82. His wife survived 
him several years, dying January i, 1891. 

The parental family included eleven children, 
of whom we make the following mention: David, 
the eldest, is deceased: Seymour is farming in 
the town of Wayne, Steuben County; Delzon is 
engaged in agricultural pursuits in the town of 
Wayne, this countj-, which is also the home of 
Alonzo: Martin died in this locality; Elizabeth 
is the wife of Amos Nortman, of Yates County; 
Dora departed this life December 2, 1892, in 
Wayne, Steuben County ; Matilda married Albert 
Watson, and makes her home in Yates County; 
Alice died when about three years of age; and 
Mary J. is now Mrs. Cyrus Switzer. 

Grant V. Houck was born in the town of 
Wayne, Steuben County, N. Y., January 3, 1867. 
There he attended school, and, being very apt 
and quick to learn, made good progress. In 
1882, however, he came to the village of Wayne, 
this county, and four weeks thereafter his father's 
death occurred. He has continued to reside here 
ever since, and operates the home farm, which 
lies in the town of Tyrone, and which consists of 
sixty-six acres of highly cultivated land. On it 
are barns and outbuildings of substantial charac- 
ter and a commodious residence. 

Mr. Houck was married, March 16, 1892, to 
Miss Cora L. Kislipaugh, whose birth occurred 
at Campbelllown, Steuben County, April 2, 
1 87 1. Her parents were Garra and Agnes 
(Ayres) Kishpaugh, who are now residents of 
Dundee. To our subject and his estimable wife 
there have been born two children, Cora L. and 



128 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Alta. In politics Mr. Houck is not confined to 
any particular partj-, as he reserves the right to 
vote for the man who in his judgment is best 
qualified to fill the office. He is not a member of 
any denomination, but his life has been one of 
uprightness and he deserves the esteem in which 
he is held. His good wife is a valued member of 
and an acti\e worker in the Presbvterian Church. 




EHARLES L. ROWLEY has been Chief En- 
gineer of the Williard State Ho.spital since 
September i, 1869, and in point of years is 
its oldest employe. He was born in Litchfield 
County, Conn., January 10, 1834, his parents 
being Elias and Laura C. ( Bushnell ) Rowley. 
(See sketch of George S. Rowley. ) 

The subject of this sketch lived on a farm un- 
til he was sixteen years of age, and attended the 
common .school and the academy. He then be- 
came a clerk in a country store, serving two 
years, but as he had an idea that the land of 
steady habits did not present as attractive possi- 
bilities for young men as the great Empire State, 
he accordingly struck out for what then .seemed 
the far West, and found a place in the yards of 
the Oneida Steamboat Company. Two years 
later he was appointed second assistant engineer, 
and after a year's service in that capacity was 
appointed first engineer on one of their boats. 
He remained in this capacity until 1858, when 
he went to Geneva to set up the machinery for the 
steamer "D. vS. Magee," and was engineer on 
the same for ten years. At the expiration of 
that time he came to Williard State Hospital, 
recei\ing the appointment nf Chief Engineer, 
and now has in his hands all the water service, 
gas and steam machinery, the sewage system, 
and all the allied interests. 

Mr. Rowley was married, in 1863, to Miss 



Martha, daughter of Joel G. and Julia (Demory ) 
Simonson, the former of whom was a carpenter. 
Mrs. Rowley was born in Yates County, and at 
the time of her marriage was a resident of Wat- 
kins. Having no children of their own, Mr. and 
Mrs. Rowley adopted a son, Grant S. Rowley. 
Our subject is a Democrat by natural convictions, 
but has never held office or been active in the 
councils of the party. He is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity at Geneva. The duties of his 
position at the hospital have been arduous, but 
have been faithfully met, and all the engineering 
work at the institution has been done under his 
supervision. 






GlNSYL P. LITTELL, Supervisor of the 
Ll town of Tyrone, .Schuyler County, is one ot 
I I its most popular officials and prominent agri- 
culturists. He is a true type of the American 
.self-made man, po.s.sesses excellent business abil- 
ity, and by well directed effiarts has won pros- 
perity. He is now living on a valuable tract of 
one hundred acres in the town of Tyrone, which 
he purchased in the year 1872. 

Our subject is the .son of David S. and Erva 
(Childs) Littell, the former of whom was also 
born in this town, and was in turn the son of 
Moses S. Littell, whose birth occurred in New 
Jersey. Mrs. Littell, also a native of this com- 
munity, was the daughter of Daniel Childs, who 
was born in one of the New England States. The 
parents of Ans\ 1 P. were married in the town of 
Tyrone, where the\- passed the remaining years 
of their lives, the mother departing this life in 
November, 1S56, and the father surviving until 
January 22, 1SS7, wIkii he was called hence. 
The parental household included three children, 
nanielv: Lewis D., Ansyl P. and Moses E. 

Our subject was born in Altay, September i, 
1S48, and thus far his life has been passed midst 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



129 



the scenes of his boyhood days. When a lad of 
fourteen he began learning the trade of a currier 
and tanner under the instruction of his father, 
and uncle, Freeman W. Littell. Four years 
later he had made such progress in the business 
that he formed a partnership with his uncle, and 
they continued together fur about four years. 
The connection was then severed, and our sub- 
ject and his brother Lewis D. purchased the 
entire plant, operating under the firm name of 
Littell Brothers. For some five years they car- 
ried on a thriving trade in their line, and at the 
same time owned a general store at Altay. When 
a division of their combined interests was made, 
our subject took the stock of boots, shoes and the 
tannery as his share, and from that time until 
1888 carried on the enterprise alone with signal 
success. That year, however, he decided to 
locate on the farm which he had purchased sev- 
eral years before, and is now giving his undivided 
attention to farming. His estate contains one 
hundred acres of excellently improved land, and 
from the able manner in which he manages the 
same he is recognized as one of the successful 
agriculturists of the community. 

Mr. Littell and Miss Eunice R. Prentiss were 
married at Altay, December 29, 1869. .She is a 
daughter of lithan W. and Susan E. (Witter) 
Prentiss, and a cousin of George D. Prentiss, the 
founder of the Loui.sville Courier-Journal. Her 
l)irth occurred in the town of Tyrone, March 8, 
1852, and by her union with our subject she has 
become the mother of two children: Edith S., 
born January 13. 1872, and now the wife of 
Alonzo Ro.ss, of Starkey, X. V,: and Ethan 
D., born November 2. 1874. 

In the spring of 1894 Mr. Littell was elected 
to the office of Supervisor, of which he is still 
the incumbent. He has always taken a very 
active part in tlie pul)lic affairs of his town, and 
has been the recipient of nearly all tlie offices 
which it has been within the power of his fellow- 
citizens to bestow upon liini. He is and alwa\s 
has been a Republican, and takes great delight in 
the success of the " grand old party." Together 
with his wife and famil>-, lie attends the Baptist 
Church, of which he is a consistent and valued 



member. Socially he is an Odd Fellow of good 
standing, and is al.so identified with the Farmers' 
Alliance. His home is a model of all that a 
home .should be, and in him and his family the 
people of Tyrone take just pride. 






-?—♦-•- 



M^ 



-•-«— f- 



^OHN LANG. In modern times the num- 
I ber of gentlemen who, beginning without 
G/ capital, have gained wealth and influence is 
so large that such instances have ceased to be 
remarkable. The qualifications, however, neces- 
sary to secure such success will never cease to 
command our admiration. The gentleman whose 
name introduces this sketch is one of the progress- 
ive business men of Watkins, who has for years 
been prominenth" connected with the railroad 
interests of this section of the country, and whose 
information concerning every detail connected 
with railroading is considered accurate and 
thorough. He owns and occupies an elegant 
residence in Watkins, which, with its beautiful 
grounds, is an object of admiration to every pass- 
er-by. 

The subject of this sketch was born in tlie city 
of Philadelphia, Pa., in 1826, being a son of 
Alexander and Maria (Ross) Lang. At the 
early age of eight years he was orphaned by Iiis 
father's death, but continued, for some years aft- 
erward, to reside in his nati\e place, where he 
was a student in the public schools, la>ing the 
foundation of the liberal and Ijroad education he 
now possesses. When si.xteen years of age he 
went to Tioga County, Pa., where he made his 
home with his grandfather, and for four years he 
attended the schools of that locality. 

The business career of Mr. Lang began at the 
age of twenty, when he liecame a bookkeeper for 
the Blos.sburg Coal Compan\-. His services were 



',^o 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



So satisractory lliat he was retained by the firm 
for nine years, when he resigned to accept another 
position. The \ ear i860 witnessed his arri\al in 
W'atkins, where he has since been connected with 
the Fall Brook Coal Conipanx- as Treasurer and 
Vice-President. His interests have been versa- 
tile, and perhaps no citizen has contributed 
more to the advancement of the material interests 
of the place tlian has he. At present he holds 
the positions of Vice-President of the Fall Brook 
Railway Company and Vice-President of the Sy- 
racuse, Geneva & Corning Railway Company, 
the principal offices of the latter conipan_\- being at 
W'atkins. In addition to these interests, he also 
holds the position of President of the Che.st 
Creek Land and Improvement Conipan_\- of Cam- 
bria and Clearfield Counties, and is Trustee of 
the estate of John Magee, besides being a Director 



or Trustee in .several other corporations. He 
has an office at Corning, N. V., where a portion 
of his time is spent. 

Beginning in business with no other capital 
than his mental and physical endowments, Mr. 
Lang has accumulated a competence by a de- 
termined effort to overcome all obstacles in the 
pathwa\- of complete success, and b\- the exerci.se 
of quick, unerring judgment in regard to the 
best means of investing monej'. While he has a 
keen jileasure in tlie respect and confidence of his 
i'ellow-men, yet he has ever been averse to push- 
ing himself forward in any manner for the pur- 
pose of gaining applause or notoriety. He has 
an extensive acquaintance in W'atkins and Schuy- 
ler County, of which he has been a resident for 
thirty-five years, and is well known as a reliable 
and capable business man. 





FRANCIS BACON. 




PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



133 



„-@^i^<:^ 




-^^^^1;^ 



r~ RANCIS BACON. Whoever labors to se- 
1^ cure tlie development of his country, striving 
I to bring out its latent resources; who is de- 
voted to the general welfare of the people; who 
seeks to promote the cause of justice and moral- 
ity, and to ad\'ance our civilization through com- 
mercial, manufacturing, professional or educa- 
cational channels, becomes a public benefactor, 
and is entitled to special mention on the pages of 
history. 

Such are the character and record of Francis 
Bacon, who has been identified with the business 
interests of Waterloo for many years. In May, 
1882, he assisted in foiniding what is now known 
as the W^aterloo Wagon Company, Limited, and 
he has held the position of President from the 
time of its organization until the present. The 
company is one of the most important firms in 
the village, and is well known throtighout the 
entire state. The plant is a large one, the ma- 
chinery being operated by two boilers and an 
engine ot eighty-horse power. Steady employ- 
ment is given to two hundred men, and the 
products of the factory consist of carriages, sleighs 
and light vehicles of every style. 

In the town of Waterloo, Seneca County, N. Y., 
Francis Bacon was born March iS, 1836. The 
family of which he is a member has been repre- 
sented in this locality since the early days, his 
grandfather, Asa Bacon, a native of Massachu- 
setts, having settled in Seneca County as early as 



1787. His father, Joel W., was born in Pitts- 
field, Mass., and at the age of nine years came to 
Seneca County with his parents, settling on Lot 
No. 81, in the township of Junius, in 1800. For 
a .short time he attended the district schools of 
this locality, and later, for three years, he was a 
.student in the French Convent at Montreal, Can- 
ada. 

On completing his literary education, Joel W. 
Bacon began the study of law in the office of the 
late Judge Miller, of Auburn, N. Y., with whom 
he remained until his admission to the Bar, in 
1 818. Opening an office in Waterloo, he soon 
gained a lucrative practice and a high rank in the 
legal fraternity. Politically he was in early life 
a Whig, but upon the disintegration of that party 
he allied himself with the Republicans. No resi- 
dent of Waterloo was more interested in its wel- 
fare than he, and it was his pleasure to hold the 
highest offices within the gift of his fellow-citi- 
zens. Among the important industries of the 
place with which he was connected may be men- 
tioned the Waterloo Woolen Mills. He pa.ssed 
away, after a bu.sy and useful career, in the vil- 
lage of Phelps, N. Y., November 7, 1876. 

The mother of our sulyect Ijore the maiden 
name of Enuna Billings, and was born in Poque- 
tanuck. Conn., in 1S02. Ikr father, Benjamin, 
was a lineal de.scendant of William Billings, a na- 
tive of lingland, who came to America and set- 
tled in Boston in 1600, becoming one of the very 



134 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



earliest settlers of that city. The youthful years 
of our subject were passed on a farm in the 
town of Waterloo, where he attended the district 
schools. Later he was a student in Waterloo 
Academy. On completing his literary studies, 
he took a course in civil-engineering, and for a 
time was with an engineering corps that had been 
organized in Seneca County. During the Civil 
War he was a member of the engineering corps 
of the United States army, and ser\-ed in that 
capacity for four years, ranking as First Lieuten- 
ant of the United States Engineers. He was 
present in all the engagements of the Army of 
the Potomac from 1862 until the close of the war 
at Appomattox. 

At the close of the Rebellion, Mr. Bacon re- 
turned to Waterloo, but his health had been so 
greatly undermined by his army experiences that 
for four years thereafter he was unable to engage 
actively in business. As soon as he had regained 
his strength sufficiently to permit him to resume 
work, he became a member of the firm of Fancher 
& Bacon, a connection that continued for six 
years. He then purchased his partner's interest 
and carried on the concern for four years, after 
which he sold out. For the five following years 
he was variousl.v engaged. 

In the organization of the Spencer Iron Works 
Mr. Bacon took an active part, and at the same 
time he assisted in the establishment of the Sen- 
eca County Agricultural Society, which was made 
a stock company. He took an active part in or- 
ganizing what is now the Waterloo Wagon Com- 
pany, Limited, of which he has been the only 
President. In 1884, in company with A. G. and 
W. L. Mercer, he organized and built the Water- 
loo Water Works, and later, in partnership with 
a number of gentlemen, he built the Waterloo 
electric-light plant, of which company- he is Pres- 
ident. In addition to these enterprises, he as- 
sisted in starting the Waterloo piano factorj', 
which is a branch of the Waterloo Organ Com- 
pany, and of it he is .serving as Director. He is 
also a Director of the First National Bank. 

For the past f(5rty years Mr. Bacon has been a 
communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 
and for a number of years he has acted as Vestrj-- 



man. His first Presidential ballot was cast for 
Abraham Lincoln, and from that time to the pres- 
ent he has been prominently identified with the 
Republican party. He is filling the position of 
Trustee of the Waterloo Library and Historical 
Society. His first marriage, which took place 
in 1866, united him with Eliza S. Bascom,.who 
at her death left two children, Nora W., and Ben- 
jamin B. , who is a student at Hobart College, 
Geneva, N. Y. His second marriage, which was 
solemnized in 1890, was to Miss Mary P. Magee, 
an accomplished and amiable lady, and a native 
of Waterloo. They occupy a substantial and ele- 
gantly furnished home, in which they hospitably 
entertain their many friends. 



0AMUEL E. JOHNSON, who is engaged in 
Nk merchandising in the village of Townsend, 
Q) is in all respects a self-made man. He was 
born in Godwinville, now Ridgefield Park, Pas- 
saic County, N. J., March 13, 1850, and was the 
youngest of a family of five children, three of 
whom are now living. The parents were Joel M. 
and Hannah (Edsall) Johnson, the former a na- 
tive of Vermont, born in 1816, and the latter of 
Bergen County, N. J. The father removed from 
Vermont to Mead's Creek, in Steuben County, 
N. Y., and when about nineteen years old went 
to New Jersey, where he taught school a few 
years. He was a well educated man, being a 
graduate of Hobart College at Geneva, N. Y., 
and for some years was Principal of Pompton 
Academy, in Passaic County. Later he followed 
farming near Paterson, and also engaged in the 
lumber business in the city. He was a promi- 
nent man in public affairs, and in the '50s repre- 
sented his county in the State Legislature. On 
the breaking out of the war he was commis.sioned 
Captain of a company in the Seventx- fifth New 



f 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



135 



York Infantry, which became a part of General 
Sickle's Excelsior Brigade. He served his country 
faithfully and well and was honorably discharged 
at the close of the war. His wife, the mother of 
our subject, died in 1850, and he was afterward 
twice married. His last wife is still living at the 
old home in Paterson, N. J., where he died June 

Our .subject was, left motherless when an in- 
fant but seven weeks old, at which time he was 
taken into the family of his uncle, Thomas John- 
.son, in the town of Orange, Schuyler County, 
where he remained nntil he reached his majority. 
He was educated in the common schools of the 
county, and at the age of tw^enty-one commenced 
life as a laborer, working by the day and month. 
In 1878, having accumulated a little money, he 
embarked in the grocery bu.siness with his 
brother Joel in New York City, in which business 
he continued for a year and a-half. On the 19th 
of January, i88o, he was married at Watkins, 
N. Y., by Rev. Mr. Waldo, to Florence May 
Stiles, who was born in the town of Potter, Yates 
County, July 4, 1854. She is a daughter of Isaac 
and Amerilla (Wheat) Stiles, both of whom 
were natives of the same county. Her father was 
a farmer in that county, w'here he spent his entire 
life, dying when Mrs. Johnson was five years of 
age. Her mother died when she w^as a child of 
two years. 

After his marriage our subject located in Town- 
send, buying a farm of thirty acres, which he 
later dispo,sed of Afterward he purchased a 
farm of one hundred and eight acres, two miles 
south of the village; besides this he also owns 
fourteen acres within tlie village limits of Town- 
send, together with a nice residence and store 
building. In December, 1892, he erected a store 
building and put in a good stock of general mer- 
chandise, and in the years that have since passed 
has built up an excellent trade. He still gives 
his yjersonal attention to his farm, and is engaged 
in general farming and stock-raising, in which he 
has been fairly successful. In politics he is a 
Republican, as his father was before him, and 
cast his first Presidential vote for General Grant. 
The family was a patriotic one, and besides the 



father two sons were in the army. John A. 
died while in the service and his remains were in- 
terred on Southern soil. Irving W. came home 
at the close of the war, but soon afterward started 
for Florida and has never been heard from since. 
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of two 
children. Bell and Joel M., both of whom are yet 
at home. Mrs. Johnson and her daughter are 
members of the Baptist Church. 



•*->^. 



i-^fe-^-" 



■*-H 



^•^J^^ 



K-*- 



Gl LBERT A. HICKS. Agriculture and .stock- 
Ll raising have formed the principal occupation 
I I of our subject, and the wide-awake manner 
in which he has taken advantage of all methods 
and ideas tending to enhance the value of his 
property has had a great deal to do with the 
competence which he now enjoys. Personal pop- 
ularity, it cannot be denied, results largely from 
industr}-, perseverance and the close attention to 
business which a per.son displays in the manage- 
ment of any particular branch of trade, and in the 
case of Mr. Hicks this is certainly true. 

The father of our .subject, Solomon Hicks, was 
born in 1833, and departed this life about i860. 
His wife, formerly Christine Powell, now makes 
her home in Steuben County, N. Y. They be- 
came the parents of four children, viz.: Charles, 
Albert A., Cordelia and Mary J. 

Albert A., of this .sketch, was born in the town 
of Orange, Schuyler County, January- 12, 1857, 
and after passing the first eleven years of his life 
there went to the tow-ii of Tyrone, and there 
lived for the succeeding six years. At the end of 
that time he came to Reading, and although 
young in years he became the owner of a tract of 
fifty acres, located in the soutlnvestern part of the 
town. This he cultivated w'ith good results, and 
became well and favorably known throughout 
the coninnuiitv. 



136 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD. 



In the spring of 1889 Mr. Hicks settled on his 
present well improved farm of one hundred and 
fifty-seven acres. While his own interests have 
engrossed his attention to a great extent, he has 
never lost sight ot the public welfare, and there 
are verj' few of his fellow-citizens who have 
been more useful to the communit)- than he. He 
was married, December 5, 1877, to Miss Emma 
Hughey, and to them were born two children, 
Charles W.and Emma, the former of whom died 
January 21, 1894, after a short illness. The 
wife and mother died September 23, 1883. 

The second union of our subject occurred Jan- 
uary 7, 1885, when Miss Myrtle M. Scott became 
his wife. She is the daughter of James O. and 
Emma J. (Rappley) Scott, and was born Sep- 
tember 30, 1865, in the town of T\rone. By this 
union there have been born five children: Clyde 
A., Ethel, May, Helen L. and Minnie L. 

Mr. Hicks is a consistent member of the Pres- 
byterian Church, while his good wife is connected 
with the Baptist congregation of Reading. Re- 
publicanism is the principle of politics which ap- 
peals to our subject the most strongly, and he 
seeks at all times to instill into his neighbors the 
idea that improvement in any direction is for the 
public good. 



— •^5t^? 




>^». 



EHRISTOPHER C. PONTIUS is one of the 
great mass of citizens who, while never 
pushing themselves to the front, yet leave 
the impress of their minds upon others and wield 
an influence, imperceptible it may be, though 
no less potent becau.se of the fact that they never 
send a herald to proclaim their deeds. Content 
to occupy a humble position in life, Mr. Pontius 
goes along the even tenor of his way, trusting 
that whatever talent he may possess will not 
be wholly lost. In jjolitics he is a consistent 



Democrat, thoroughly believing in the principles 
of his party. He believes the farmer's calling 
the most honorable one of any of the vocations, 
but realizes that he labors under more disadvant- 
ages than those in any other calling, because more 
isolated, and without opportunity of exchanging 
ideas and thoughts as quickly and as easily as 
his urban neighbors. For that reason he identi- 
fied himself with the Grange movement, and has 
been active in proclaiming the principles of the 
organization and urging farmers ever^-where to 
avail themselves of its privileges. For three 
years he was Master of the local Grange and did 
much to advance its interests. 

Christopher C. Pontius was born in the town 
of Fayette, Seneca County, February 8, 1848, 
and is a son of Philip and Susan (Crobaugh) 
Pontius. His grandfather, George Pontius, a 
native of Pennsylvania, came to the town of Fay- 
ette in the very earl)- days and engaged in farm- 
ing, and there passed the remainder of his life. 
Our subject was one of four children born to 
Philip and Susan Pontius, namely: Ellen, the 
wife of John Kipp; Larson, a farmer of the town 
of Fayette; Christopher C, our subject; and 
Lucinda, the wife of Charles E. Berry. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood in 
his native town and was reared to the life of a 
farmer. In his youth he attended the common 
schools in his town and received a fair English 
education. With the exception of four years, he 
remained upon the home farm, assisting his fa- 
ther in its cultivation until his marriage, which 
occurred February 8, 1871, to Miss Jane E. 
Walker. By this union two children have been 
born, Maude and Chauncey. Soon after their 
marriage they moved to the farm on which they 
now reside, and which has been their home for a 
quarter of a century. The farm comprises one 
hundred and sixty-five acres, lying adjacent to 
Lake Seneca, and here Mr. Pontius is engaged in 
general farming and stock-raising, making a spe- 
cialty of Jersey cattle. In his farming operations 
it may be said that he has been fairly successful, 
and his fann, which is kept under a high state of 
cultivation, yields abundantly — enough, at least, 
to supply all the necessaries of life. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



J 37 



While giving his time and attention to farming 
interests, Mr. Pontius yet cultivates his social na- 
ture, and in addition to the Grange, in which, as 
alread)- stated, he has taken an active part, he is 
also a member of the Royal Arcanum. In educa- 
tional matters he has always taken great interest, 
believing in having the best schools that can be 
ol)tained. In Brown's Business College at Auburn 
he secured a practical business education, and for 
two years he taught in one district. He is enter- 
prising and progressive in all things, and for some 
years has been engaged in buying and shipping 
grain and in conducting a coaljard at Kendaia, 
in which he has been quite successful. Upon his 
farm is a hou.'^e, in a good state of preservation, 
which was built over one hundred years ago, and 
in which the first town meeting of the town of 
Romulus was held. 




HON. WILLIAM C. HAZELTON, County 
Judge and Surrogate, is a man whom the 
people of Seneca County have delighted to 
honor. He was born near Trumansburg, Tomp- 
kins County, vSeptember i, 1835. His father was 
also a native of that county, while his mother 
came from Rutland County, \'t. Elijah and Mary 
Ann (Clark) Hazelton were, like the great ma- 
jority of the people of the early part of the cen- 
tury, unfavored b\' outward circumstances, and 
had to make their way, not to fame or fortune, 
but to a home and a living by the verj' hardest 
kind of labor and the most persistent economy. 
That they met the issues of the hour and showed 
forth a grand and lofty courage, the history of 
the changed condition of this entire country from 
the Great Lakes to the ocean is ample evidence. 
The father of our subject, Elijah Hazelton, was 
left an orphan at an early age, and was thrown 
upon his own resources. He was reared a farmer, 
and made his home in his native countv until 



1842, when he removed to Covert, S3neca Coun- 
ty, where he continued farming until he died, 
in 1877. He was a Democrat in politics, and in 
his day held several local offices, and was a man 
much respected by all who knew him. His wife 
is still living on the old homestead in Covert, at 
the age of eighty years. The parents' family in- 
cluded two children. Sarah Ami married Will- 
iam S. Robinson, and died in this county. She 
left one daughter, Edith, who is now the wife of 
John Halford, and resides on the old home farm 
in Covert. 

Mr. Hazelton passed his early life on the farm, 
attending the common school and academy, and 
teaching school in the winter until he was 
twenty years of age. Then he entered the law 
offices of Dana, Beers & Howard, of Ithaca, and 
in the year 1858 was admitted to the Bar. For 
the next four years he w'as a clerk in the law 
office of H. A. Dowe. In the spring of 1862 
he returned home, and to his surprise was nom- 
inated and elected District Attorney of Seneca 
County, and served three years. In 1868 he was 
re-elected, and served a third term in 1880. In 
1873 he was elected a member of the Assembly, 
serving one term, and for six years was elected 
County Judge and Surrogate. Politically he is 
a Democrat, but has never been known as a 
party worker or as a manager of fine politics. 
Rather, with that fine sense of the fitness of 
things that belongs to the judicial temperament, 
he has preferred to keep much to himself and 
trust the people to decide for themselves what is 
best and most desirable. He has never been an 
office-seeker, and only when the sentiment be- 
came earnest and emphatic would he consent to 
be a candidate for any position. Of him it is al- 
ways true that the office has sought the man, and 
not the man the office, as he has preferred to 
practice law at Ovid, where for a time he was 
Justice of the Peace. 

In January, 1876, Mr. Hazelton united his des- 
tinies with those of Miss Sarah Pratt, a native of 
Orange County, and they have become the par- 
ents of three children, Laura, Emma and Charles 
P. Besides his fine brick residence at Ovid, our 
subject also owns a farm of one hundred and 



138 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



eighteen acres. The Judge is not a member of 
any church or lodge, but has given his entire 
attention to law, and it must be said that the law 
has rewarded his devotion. He has made his 
waj- in the world, and has won a high standing 
in the life of his generation. 



I®. 






HON. GEORGE ANDREW SNYDER was 
elected to the Assembly in 1894, previous 
to which time he gave his attention to farm- 
ing in the town of Hector, Schuyler County, where 
he owns one of the mo.st beautiful estates in the 
.section. This tract is the old homestead, and in 
addition to the many improvements which were 
placed there by his father, Mr. Snyder has beau- 
tified it .still further. His knowledge of agricult- 
ure and the relative value of soils enables him to 
carry on the vocation in a most profitable manner. 
The subject of this sketch was born in the 
town of Catharine, then in Chemung, but now a 
part of Schuyler County, September 22, 1852. 
He lived there until 1866. when, in company 
with his parents, Adam and Jane E. (Darling) 
Snyder, he came to this part of the county. His 
father was bom in New Jersey, near Belleville, 
in the year 1826. His mother, however, was a 
native of the town of Hector, this county, and the 
daughter of Andrew Darling, one of the old 
pioneers of Ulster County, N. Y. Adam was 
brought to the town of Hector, which was then 
in Tompkins County, when four years old. His 
parents, John VV. and Catherine (Brugler) Sny- 
der, natives of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, re- 
spectively, located in this town, three miles south 
of Reynoldsville, in 1830, and here the grandfa- 
ther continued to make his home until his de- 
cease, at the age of seventy-six years, when 
George A., of this history, was a lad of thirteen 
years. Of this family, Peter lives in the town of 



Montour; Catherine lives in Elmira; John makes 
his home in Elmira; and Adam, the father of our 
subject, is living retired in Burdett. 

George A. Snyder was in his thirteenth year 
when his parents moved upon the place which he 
.still calls home. This is located just one mile 
east of Burdett, and there our .subject has made 
his home ever since. Until attaining his twen- 
ty-fifth year he gave his time to his father, whom 
he greatly relieved from the more arduous duties 
of farm work. At the time the latter moved to 
Burdett, however, George A. purchased the old 
place, in addition to which he owns a sixtj-five- 
acre tract one mile east. Although engaged in 
general farming, he makes a specialty of sheep- 
raising, and now has on his place one hundred 
and forty head. 

The education of our subject was carried on in 
the district school. He is self-made, however, 
and has never ceased to add to his alread}' ex- 
tended knowledge by reading good books and 
studying those subjects which aid him in his 
chosen vocation. He was married, October 15, 
1873, to Miss Annette, the daughter of Capt. 
John C. Mead, formerh- of Burdett, but now de- 
ceased. Mrs. Snyder was born in Hector, and is 
a most estimable and well educated lady. Our 
subject and his wife had a son, Stewart, who died 
at the interesting age of three years. Hon. Mr. 
Snyder has acted for the past twelve years as one 
of the Trustees of the Presbyterian Church of 
Burdett. 

Our subject is a stanch Republican in politics, 
and on that ticket was elected Supervisor in 1890, 
holding the office for four years. The town pays 
thirty-four per cent, of the county taxes, hence 
this is considered a very important office. Dur- 
ing the elections the town of Hector polls twelve 
hundred votes. In 1893 Mr. Snyder was elected 
to the State Assembly from Schuyler County, re- 
ceiving a majority of six hundred of the votes 
cast over his opponent, Waldo S. Bishop, of Wat- 
kins. During this term he served on various 
committees of importance, among them being 
those of Internal Affairs, Public Health and Agri- 
culture. So well did he fulfill the duties of this 
responsible position, that in 1894 he was placed 



I 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



139 



in office again, being victorious over the Demo- 
cratic nominee, Osborn Smith, of Hector. This 
time Mr. Snyder was placed in office by a 
majority of over one thousand, wliich shows his 
popularity as a citizen and official. As before, 
he was placed on committees of importance, and 
is now Chairman of the Committee on Agricult- 
ure, his knowledge of this vocation making him 
a verv valued member. 






(Joseph MEDLOCK. Among those of for- 
I eign birth who are closely associated with 
(2/ the farming interests of Seneca County, we 
should not fail to present an outline of the career 
of Mr. Medlock, for he has fully borne out the 
reputation of that class of thrifty, industrious and 
enterprising men of English birth who have 
risen to prominence in various portions of this 
count)'. It is with genuine pleasure that we in- 
clude his sketch in this volume, for he is not only 
one of the best residents of the county, but a man 
whose honesty, uprightness and sociabilitj- have 
won for him the esteem of all. 

On Chri.stmas Day of 1S23, our subject was 
born in Bedfordshire, England. His parents, 
William and Mary Medlock, reared a familj^ of 
four sons and one daughter. When seventeen 
years of age Joseph enlisted in the British army 
for a period of twentj -one years. His division 
was first assigned to Ireland, where he was sta- 
tioned for eighteen months. On his return to 
England he spent four months in his native land, 
and then went with his regiment to the West In- 
dies, being three months and two days on the 
water. 

Landing at Postals Battery, the regiment was 
stationed there about six weeks, and then was 
ordered on board a man-of-war, which conveyed 
it to Moutega Bay. After landing there, they 



marched to Maroon Hill, where they were on 
duty about eight months. From that place they 
took passage on a sailing-vessel bound for Hali- 
fax, Nova Scotia, where thej- remained for about 
four months. From there they went to Montreal, 
Canada, when they were ordered to report at St. 
John's, Canada East, making that place their 
headquarters for a year and a -half. They then 
went back to Montreal, and after staying there 
for thirteen months, took passage on a ship bound 
for England, and were landed in due time at 
Portsmouth, England, where they remained for 
six months. 

Our subject abont this time put in application 
for a furlough, and it being granted, he went 
home and for two months visited his relatives and 
friends. He then rejoined his regiment at Ports- 
mouth, and shortly thereafter procured his honor- 
able discharge, paying therefor ^18. Mr. Med- 
lock was variously employed in his native land 
until 1854, when he determined to come to Amer- 
ica. Engaging passage on a vessel, he was two 
months and fourteen days en route, and was very 
well satisfied to make his home on land after ar- 
riving here. He made his way from New York 
City to this county, and chose the town of Covert 
for his future home. He worked at whatever he 
could find to do for two years, during which time 
he had saved a sufficient sum of money to enable 
him to purchase a small farm. In 1866, however, 
he moved to the town of Lodi, and lived there on 
a tract of seventy-five acres until 1895, when he 
returned to this town. He has been prosperous 
in his agricultural ventures, having adopted the 
most approved methods for cultivating the .soil. 

The lady to whom Mr. Medlock was married, 
September 3, 1857, was Miss IClizabeth Cannon, 
who was born in Dublin, Ireland, and who crossed 
the Atlantic May i, 1849. Her union with our 
subject resulted in the birth of seven children, 
namely: William, Charles and Clinton, deceased; 
Fred, a farmer of this locality; Morris, who is 
also engaged in agricultural pursuits; Mary, who 
married Frank Hazard, a blacksmith of Town- 
sendville; and Ainiie, the wife of De P'orrest 
Dickerson, a farmer. 

In politics Mr. Medlock is a Republican, and 



140 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in religious affairs is a consistent member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. He is highly re- 
garded here for the sterling traits of character 
which make up a good citizen, kind neighbor and 
Christian man. 




(Tames H. HASLETT, M. D., is a rising 
I young physician of Waterloo. He early 
O recognized the logic in Dr. Franklin's well 
known maxim, "Anything that is worth doing 
at all is worth doing well," hence in laying the 
foundation for future practice he built on the 
solid wall of thorough preparation and knowl- 
edge. A farmer's son, he spent the earl}^ years 
of his life much as other country boys do, hav- 
ing an abundance of hard work, that gives a 
healthy physique and clear brain. This, per- 
haps, accounts in no small degree for the large 
number of farmers' sons we find high up on the lad- 
der of fame and filling so many responsible posi- 
tions in all the walks of life. 

In the town of Seneca, Ontario County, N. Y., 
the subject of this sketch was born, January 20, 
1863. His father, Henry, who was a native of 
County Down, Ireland, emigrated to the United 
States in early manhood, and for a number of 
years was engaged in the manufacture of woolen 
goods in Philadelphia. In 1865 he came to New 
York and .settled in the town of vSeneca, Ontario 
County, making his home on a farm. He died 
in August, 1890, while visiting in Waterloo. 



His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary 
Howard, came to America when a girl, and died 
in 1889. Her father was a manufacturer of 
woolen goods in Leeds, England. 

James H. was the sixth among seven children, 
there being four sons and three daughters, of 
whom one son and two daughters are deceased. 
Our subject gained the foundation of his educa- 
tion in the public schools in Geneva, where he 
developed a taste for books. He prepared for 
college at Geneva Academy, and then entered 
Union College at Schenectady, where he pur- 
sued his studies for one j-ear. Later he attended 
Hobart College at Geneva. While still in col- 
lege he began the study of medicine in the office 
of Dr. J. R. Topping, at Rushville, N. Y. In 
1883 he entered the medical department of the 
University of the City of New York, from which 
he was graduated in 1886, and the same year 
graduated from the literary department of Ho- 
bart College. 

Dr. Haslett entered upon his independent prac- 
tice at Geneva in 1886, but after twelve months 
there he went to Phelps, and formed a partner- 
ship with Dr. J. Q. Howe, which connection, 
however, was of short duration. In May, 1888, 
he came to Waterloo, where he has, by his pro- 
fessional knowledge and affable disposition, built 
up a fine practice, which is constantly growing. 
He is now President of the Seneca County Medi- 
cal Society, and was for five years jail physician. 
He has also filled the office of Health Officer for 
both the village and town. Socially he is a mem- 
ber of Seneca Lodge No. 113, F. & A. M. 

In 1892 Dr. Haslett married Miss Carrie, 
daughter of Oliver Crothers, of Phelps, Ontario 
County, N. Y. They are prominent factors in 
the society of Waterloo, and have a position in 
the community that is as honorable as it is credit- 
able to their industry and perseverance. 




HUGH H. WOODWORTH. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



143 



rAw(^^V ^^^:>J ^ 't A 







HUGH H. WOODWORTH has always made 
his home in the town of T\Te, Seneca Coun- 
ty-, on the tract of land which his grand- 
father, Caleb Woodworth, entered from the Gov- 
ernment many years ago. That gentleman came 
to this section from Johnstown, N. Y., and took 
possession of this tract of land when it was in its 
primitive state. Indians were at that time wan- 
dering over their old hunting-grounds and would 
often appear at the cabin of Caleb Woodworth 
and beg for food. 

In order to reach his new home the grandfather 
was compelled to cut his way through the woods 
from Seneca Falls. He had a large family of 
children, and with the aid of his sons worked 
hard to subdue the soil, and succeeded well in 
this undertaking. There he and his good wife 
spent the remainder of their lives, and when 
death called them hence they were buried side by 
side in Traver Cemetery, not far from the old 
place. 

Hiram Woodworth, the father ot our subject, 
took care of his aged parents until their decease, 
after which lie purchased the interest of the other 
heirs in the place and called the old homestead 
his own property. The maiden name of his wife 
was Phebe Winans, and it is .supposed that she 
was born in the state of New Jersey. She was 
brought to this state by her parents when very 



young, and therefore had no recollection of her 
former home. After her marriage with Hiram 
Woodworth she spent the remaining years of her 
life on the farm where her son Hugh H. now 
lives. This tract consists of two hundred acres, 
and bears splendid improvements. 

The parental family included ten children, of 
whom the four older members are deceased. John, 
another son, is the c'Wner of a large farm located 
near Minneapolis, Minii., but is now engaged as 
a contractor in New Mexico. Charles completed 
his education in both the literary and law depart- 
ments of the Michigan University of Ann Arbor, 
and is at present engaged in teaching in Kansas. 
George is a substantial agriculturist of Wayne 
County, N. Y. Helen married Horatio T. Wood- 
worth, a distant relative, and they make their 
home at Battle Creek, Mich., where Mr. Wood- 
worth is an artist of considerable note; he aLso 
owns a fine farm. Jeremiah makes his home 
with our subject. 

The father of the above family was atone time 
a Jack.sonian Democrat, but during the agitation 
of the slaver\- question he considered that he had 
reason to change his views, and thereafter affili- 
ated with the Republicans. In early life he joined 
the Baptist Church, but later became a member 
of the Disciples Church, in the faith of which he 
died. He was one of the organizers of this de- 



144 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



noiniiiatioii in the village of Tyre, and our sub 
ject, duriiig the building of the church edifice, 
aided in hauling the lumber used in its construc- 
tion. Hiram Woodworth departed this life in 
1876, and his wife in 1872. 

After carrying on hi.s studies in the schools 
near his home, our subject entered the academy 
at Lyons, and afterward became a student in the 
schools of Seneca Falls and Waterloo. He was 
considered competent to teach when only eighteen 
vears of age, and so successful was he in this vo- 
cation that he continued to follow it for twelve or 
fifteen years. He was engaged most of the time 
in the town of Tyre, although he taught some in 
Wayne County. During this period he spent 
every leisure moment in .study, and although not 
attending any large college or uuiversit}-, became 
as well informed as many of those who were 
given this privilege. 

Mr. Woodworth was born Jaiuiarj- i, 1829, 
but did not marry until February 20, 18S9, when 
he was joined in wedlock with Mrs. Harriet W. 
(Babcock) Van Buskirk, of St. Joseph Countj', 
Mich., and a daughter of John and Eliza Adelia 
(Munson) Babcock. This lady, however, was 
born in the town of Tyre and was one whom Mr. 
Woodworth had known for many years. 

Our subject began to purchase the interests of 
his brothers and sisters in the home farm prior to 
the death of his parents, whom it was his inten- 
tion and desire to care for during the remainder 
of their lives. Thus at the time of their demise 
he found himself the owner of the old place, num- 
bering two hundred acres of finely improved 
land. The first building ever erected on this 
propert)- was the little log cabin built by his 
grandfather. In later years this gave way to a 
more commodious frame building, which is now 
used as a barn. The present residence is built of 
cobblestones, and was erected during the year 
1844. 

Mr. Woodworth was not interested in politics 
until about the year 1856, when he was sent as a 
delegate to the convention, at which time the 
Republican party in the county was organized. 
Since that time he has been a warm supporter of 
its principles and greatly interested in its tri- 



umphs. He has of late years been a delegate to 
its conventions, both countj- and state, and has 
been the candidate of his party for many positions 
of responsibility and trust. For several years he 
was Clerk of the town of Tyre; also its Assessor 
and Inspector of Elections. He has likewise ren- 
dered efficient ser\'ice as Supervisor, and, in fact, 
has been the incumbent of nearly every office 
which it has been within the power of his fellow- 
citizens to bestow, notwithstanding he has always 
had a large Democratic majority to overcome. 

Mrs. Woodworth is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, worshiping with the congre- 
gation which her grandfather helped to organize 
many years ago. 






^ 



"HOMAS P. HAUSE is the proprietor and 
publisher of the Farmer Rciicw, having 
founded it and begun its publication in tlie_ 
month of July, 1887, at a time when no paper 
had been published in the town for several years. 
It is an eight-column folio, local and independent, 
devoted to the interests of Farmer, and has 
appeared ever}- week since its first publication. 
It has grown to cotisiderable prominence, and 
has an appreciative and valuable patronage. 

Mr. Hau.se was born in Ovid February 29, 
i860, the son of Joseph and Nancy (Purdy) 
Hause, who were also natives of New York. Jo- 
seph Hause .settled in vSeneca County before his 
marriage, and taught scliool. The grandfather, 
also Joseph Hause, was one of the pioneers of 
Seneca County, and helped to clear up the virgin 
forests around Farmer. He and an Irishman 
(ex-Senator Francis Kernan's father) went across 
Seneca Lake and settled at Tyrone, to which 
point they presently removed their families. The 
Hause family trace their ancestry back to Will- 
iam Hause, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1750. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



145 



After the marriage of the parents in 1856, they 
resided in Ovid. The father died in May, 1864, 
and the mother in 1872. They had three chil- 
dren, all sons: Alfred B., Thomas P. and Will- 
iam J. 

Our subject was born in Ovid, received his 
education in the village schools, and learned the 
printer's tradein the office of the Ovid Independ- 
ent. In 1887 he came to Farmer. Previous to 
this, in 1 88 1, he was married to Jessie E., the 
daughter of D. F. Frantz, and they have two 
children, Nancy E. and Frank E. 

In politics Mr. Hause is independent, voting 
for the best men and measures, irrespective of 
party interests, and by strictly carrying out this 
principle he has made himself a power. The 
proportions of his office and the increase of his 
establishment show how much the people appre- 
ciate a candid and honorable newspaper. He be- 
gan business with a Washington Hand-press, and 
with but little material on hand, and now has a 
steam outfit, with a Campbell Country Press, and 
one of the most complete country job offices 
found west of New York. He is sole owner of 
both the plant and the building. Mr. Hause is 
found among the members of Farmersville Lodge 
No. 183, F. & A. M., and Seneca Lodge No. 
694, I. O. O. F. 



-5"-v-»^ 



""t—f- 



->•-»-••- 



^1^'^^ 



ISRAEL YOST, a highly respected agricultur- 
ist on the west shore of Cayuga Lake, in 
the town of Varick, lives upon the farm where 
his father settled in 1825. He was born in Berks 
County, Pa., December 18, 1814, and is a son of 
Daniel and Foraney (Hess) Yost, the former a 
native of Berks County, and the latter of North- 
umberland County, Pa. In 1823 the family came 
to Seneca County and settled at East Varick, and 
two vears later located on the farm where our 



subject now resides. Daniel Yost, a shoemaker 
by trade, was a well educated man, and for many 
years engaged in teaching both English and Ger- 
man in Berks, Lehigh and Northampton Coun- 
ties, Pa. On coming to this county he engaged 
in farming exclusively, and remained on the old 
homestead until his death, at the age of seventj-- 
six years. 

Politically the father was a Democrat, and took 
an active part in all political affairs. Religiously 
he was a Lutheran, and assisted in establishing 
the church of that denomination at East \'arick. 
His wife, who was a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, died in her eighty-eighth year. They 
were the parents of nine children, two sons and 
seven daughters. One son, Stephen, died when 
twenty-eight years of age, and Israel is the sub- 
ject of this sketch. Caroline is the widow of 
John Disinger, of Varick, and now lives in Can- 
oga; Angeline is the widow of Jacob Larzerele, 
of that place; Christiana is the widow of Vincent 
Williams, of Varick, and resides with her son 
George on the farm; Clarissa married Charles 
.Schwab, of Fayette, where they now live; Amanda 
married John Waring, and lives in Ionia County, 
Mich; Harriet is the widow of Henry Lisk, and 
resides near Romulus, in the town of Varick; and 
Sarah married Coan Bishop, and they reside in 
the town of Lodi. All married well and all have 
fine homes. 

Israel Yost remained at home until his twent}-- 
fifth year, working by the month the la.st year. 
He then followed threshing one year, and again 
worked on the farm by the month for Hiram 
Wheeler. The next season he was engaged in 
ditching. After working a time for others* he 
took charge of the home farm, which he worked 
until his father's death, when he purchased the 
interest of the other heirs, paying $82 per acre 
for the same. He had saved $4,000 bj' the time he 
bought the old place, and this he used in pay- 
ment for the farm. Times were then good, and 
he made considerable money, but suffered many 
losses by loaning his funds. Success, however, 
has crowned his efforts, and in addition to the 
old homestead he has two other gooc^ farms: the 
Abbott Farm, consisting of one hundred and fifty- 



146 



PORTRAIT' AND BIOGRAPHICAL RBCORfi. 



five acres in the town of Fayette, which he pur- 
chased for $83 per acre, and the Waring Farm of 
seventy-six acres, for which he paid $65 per acre. 
They are both fine farms, and are occupied by 
tenants. 

Mr. Yost lived a single life until sixty years of 
age, when he was united in marriage with Miss 
Elizabeth Backman, who had been his house- 
keeper for six or eight years prior to this event. 
They have twochildren, Lutie Amelia and George. 
Both are yet at home, and are receiving a good 
education. Politically Mr. Yost is a Democrat, 
but has never been an office-holder. He has 
been a member of the Lutheran Church since 
young manhood. Though now in his eighty-first 
year, he can say that he has never had a law suit 
in his life. 



••^^^• 




:^,._ 



REV. THOMAS J. O'CONNELL is the be- 
loved and honored pastor of the Holy Cross 
Church at Ovid, where he has been located 
since April 20, 1876. The stead}- growth of the 
church, and its high standing in the regions round 
about, attest the worth of the pastoral labor and 
the faithful attention which it has received from 
its pastor and priest. The church was organized 
and built in 1849 by Rev. Father Gilbride, who 
paid it regular visits until it was able to .sustain a 
pastorate of its own. During these years it has 
steadily grown, and its congregation now num- 
bers some fifteen hundred souls. In 1851 the 
first church was completed and dedicated by 
Bishop John Tiemon, of Buffalo, previous to 
which time services had been conducted in pri- 
vate houses. About 1865 Father Keenen built 
an addition to the old church. In 1876, whe:i 
the present minister came to its pulpit, it had 
grown to a congregation numbering nearly twelve 
hundred, and its growth since that time, while 
not rapid, has been steady and sure. The church 



also owns a fine and commodious parsonage, 
which was purchased in 1S69 for $6,000, by Rev. 
James J. O'Conner, of Seneca Falls, at that time 
pastor at this place. 

Father O'Connell, our subject, is a native of 
Ireland, and was born in Count}' Gahvay, near 
Dunmore, in 1846. His parents, James and 
Sarah (Cunningham) O'Connell; had a large 
family. Mrs. O'Connell is still living, resid- 
ing in Ireland. Two of her children are priests 
in America: Patrick O'Connell, at Sheffield, Bu- 
reau County, 111., and the pastor of the church 
at Ovid. When a young boy, Thomas spent 
five and a-half years at St. Jarlath's College, in 
his native town, and five years at the Irish Col- 
lege, in Paris, France, studying under the great 
Irish patriot. Most Rt.-Rev. John MacHale, 
Archbishop of France. This institution is almost 
under the shadow of the great Pantheon, where 
the students learned great lessons of what the 
Irish race had done for the world and for the 
Holy Church. While in the latter college the 
present Cardinal Logue, Archbishop of Armagh, 
was Father O'Connell's professor of dogmatic 
theology and of the Irish language. 

In 187 1 the young theologian came to America, 
and June 22 of that year was ordained a priest 
by the Bishop of Rochester, at St. Bonaventure 
Seminary in Allegany, Cattaraugus Count}-, N. Y. 
He was first attached to St. Patrick's Cathedral 
at Rochester, and after a few months was trans- 
ferred to the Holy Family Church at Auburn. 
After passing three years and a-half there, he 
returned to Rochester for three months, and then 
for the same length of time was at Mount Morris, 
where he did good work in as.sisting in the re- 
duction of the debt on the church. While he was 
at that point he also attended to the spiritual 
interest of missions at Nunda and Geneseo. The 
church at Ovid is now out of debt, has a good 
property, and presents a bright prospect for the 
future. Father O'Connell is an earnest worker, 
and takes a kindly interest in the spiritual welfare 
of a few faithful families in Romulus, where he has 
organized the Sacred Heart Church, of which he 
has had pastoral charge since 1876. 

The line of priestly service which the Ovid 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



'47 



church has received includes some notable names 
in the Roman Catholic priesthood. Father Gil- 
bride was in charge in 1852 and the year follow- 
ing. He died in Waterloo, that year, and was 
succeeded by Father Kinney. The next year Very- 
Rev. W. Gleason, \'icar-General of Buffalo, en- 
tered upon the administration of the church, re- 
maining five years. He was an earnest, eloquent 
and capable man, and exercised a great influence 
over a wide field of labor. In St. Mary's Church 
at Waterloo he also conducted services; bought 
the church at Truman.sburg, and attended to its 
care and growth. In 1859 Father Maguire was in 
charge of the church at Ovid for .six months. 
Fathers Martin, Cavanaugh, Stephenson, Can- 
non, Dennis English and McMannis were in 
charge for the next three years. In 1863 Father 
Keenen came to the church, remaining for six 
years, and was succeeded in the year 1869 by Fa- 
ther O' Conner, who gave way to our subject in 
1876. The congregation is now engaged in 
building a fine edifice to cost about $30,000. 

While Father O' Council has been a very busy 
man, he has not neglected opportunities for 
broadening his knowledge of the world. In 1867 
he attended the Paris Exposition; was at Phila- 
delphia to learn what he could at the Centennial 
Expo.sition in 1876, and was at the World's Fair 
at Chicago in 1893. He has taken but one long 
vacation, in 1886, when he traveled in Ireland 
for three months; he visited his Alma Maler at 
Paris, and also went to Rome. 




\h ARION B. JEWELL, of Wayne, Schuyler 
y County, well known throughout this por- 
ta tion of the state, deserves representation in 
this volume. He is the owner of the Wayne Hotel, 
to the management of which he gives his entire 
time and attention. The hotel is well patronized 



by the traveling public, as it is both neat and at- 
tractive in appearance and moderate in price. 

Our subject was born in Wayne, Steuben 
County, this state, April 6, 1850. His father, 
the late Nelson Jewell, and his mother, formerly 
Haimah Van Houten, were both born in this 
state, the latter in Steuben County. They set- 
tled in the above locality very^ shortly after their 
marriage, and there the father worked at his trade, 
which was that of a blacksmith. Afterward, how- 
ever, he abandoned this in order to give his time 
to farming, and made this the vocation of his life. 
Many years previous to this time he conducted a 
hotel at Hamraondsport, being engaged in this 
business for twelve 5'ears. He lived to be sixty- 
eight years of age, and died in Wayne, June 10, 

1883. His good wife still survives and makes 
her home in the latter village. 

The parental family included six children, of 
whom the eldest, bearing the name of Marion B., 
died in childhood; Mary N. became the wife of 
Josiah Ingersoll, and departed this life in Wayne, 
February 6, 1894; Sarah A. married Addison 
Damoth, but she died at Barrington, Vates Coun- 
ty, March 15, 1893; Elizabeth J. is the wife of 
Edson Bisby, and makes her home in Wayne; 
Hessel M. married Miss Mary Benner, and they 
make their home in Bath, N. Y. 

Marion B., the second to bear the name and 
the subject of this sketch, was the youngest of 
the household. He remained under the parental 
roof until his marriage, which event was cele- 
brated March 13, 1872, at which time Miss Eliza 
Benner became his wife. She was a daughter of 
Timothy Benner, and was born in Hammonds- 
port, April 14, 1850. After their union the young 
people .settled on a farm near Wayne, Steuben 
County, and made that place their home for three 
years. At the end of that time they changed 
their location to Tyrone, Schuyler County, and 
for two years were identified with the interests of 
that community. We then find them residents 
of Wayne, where Mr. Jewell was engaged in the 
manufacture of baskets and where he also ran a 
sawmill for several years. Most of the time since 

1884, however, he has operated the Wayne Hotel, 
located in the village of that name. 



148 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Our subject aud his estimable wife are the par- 
ents of a son, Clyde H., who was born May 8, 
1886. Mr. Jewell is active in public affairs, and 
in him the community finds a faithful and un- 
swerving friend, ever on the alert to serve its best 
interests. His first Presidential vote was cast for 
a Republican, to which party he has given his 
adherence ever since. 



l@. 






^ 



s 



<W 



y/jISS MARGARET R. LAUTENSCHLA- 
y GER, a native of the town of Varick, was 
(^ born in a log cabin on the farm where she 
lately resided, in 1814, and passed to her final 
rest November i, 1895, in the eighty -third year 
of her age. Her father, Jacob Lautenschlager, 
was born in Lehigh County. Pa., in August, 
1778, and was of German descent, his father be- 
ing a native of Germany. Jacob was reared in 
his native county, and there married Eve Burger, 
a native of the same county. By occupation he 
was a farmer, which calling he followed during 
his entire life. In 181 2 he removed with his wife 
and seven children to Seneca County and located 
on the farm where his daughter resided at the 
time of her death. At the time of the father's 
removal there it was heavily covered with timber, 
and there were but few persons living in the 
county. In due course of time he had much of 
the land cleared and a productive farm established. 
When Margaret was about four years old her 
mother died. Of the parental family only one 
survives, David. Joseph resided here for many 
years, but later removed to Lockport, and from 
there to Montana. He died, leaving a family. 
Lydia married Robert Hood, of Varick. Stephen 
died at the age of eighteen. Jonathan, who re- 
sided in the town of \'arick, died at the age of 
seventy. Joshua lived in Fayette and died there. 
Charles removed to Monroe County, Mich., where 



his death occurred. Elizabeth married George 
Hinderleiter and removed to Michigan, where 
she died. Margaret R. came next. David is 
yet living on a part of the old homestead. John 
died in 1885, at the age of sixty. 

After the death of his first wife, Jacob Lauten- 
schlager married Mrs. Breyfogle, a widow, and 
by that union there was born one child, Lafay- 
ette, who died in infancy. Mrs. Lautenschla- 
ger survived her husband several years. The 
father was a quiet, imassnming man, attending 
strictlj' to his private affairs. He was a good 
farmer, a kind and loving husband and father, and 
his death was mourned by a large circle of friends 
and acquaintances. He was a member of the 
Lutheran Church, and a.ssi.'^ted in the erection ot 
the church at Bearytown. of which most of the 
family were members. 

As already stated, Miss Lautenschlager lived 
upon the home farm during her entire life. Up 
to almost the time of her death she was active in 
body and mind and was a great reader, well posted 
in literature and the current events of the day. 
She was a member of the Lutheran Church at 
Bearvtown. 



T^ 



t^f^' 



L-J- 



'IM 



^ 



0ANIEL B. MARSH. A native of Seneca 
County, this gentleman has been identified 
with its growth from an earl\- period in its 
history. In his boyhood there were few of the 
improvements now visible on every hand. Sen- 
eca Falls was a little hamlet, containing only a 
few houses, and presenting no indication of its 
present prosperity. The beautiful farms that 
now greet the eye of the passers-by could then 
be' discerned only by the eye of faith, for the 
waste tracts and timbered lands afforded little 
cause for enthusiastic predictions. 

On the farm in the town of Romulus where he 
now resides, the subject of this article was born 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



149 



September 7, 18 17. Here he grew to manhood, 
becoming familiar with farm work at an early 
age. In October, 1868, he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Rebecca Salver, and three chil- 
dren were born unto them, nameh-: Phoebe, wife 
of Charles Latourette, a resident of Detroit, 
Mich.; John, who resides in Los Angeles, Cal., 
and is an employe of the telephone company of 
that city: and Grace, a young lady residing with 
her father. The wife and mother passed away in 
1879, eleven years after her marriage. 

In partnersliip with his brother Thomas, our 
subject owns the old homestead where he was 
born. This consists of one hundred and forty-six 
acres, devoted to general agricultural pursuits. 
In his political views Mr. Marsh has been con- 
nected with the Republican party since its organ- 
ization, and has always voted for its candidates 
and principles. An admirer of Henry Clay, he 
voted for that famous statesman for President. 
He has kept thoroughly informed regarding all 
the questions affecting the people of the country, 
and is of course especially interested in all enter- 
prises calculated to promote the welfare of the 
citizens of Seneca Countv. 



-^^^t- 



-..-{— ^ 



(Tames F. WASSON is one of the representa- 
I live farmers in the town of Dix, and also a 
KZ) representative of the boys in blue who went 
to the defense of their country in the Civil War. 
He is al.so a representative of the American citi- 
zens of foreign birth who really and truly become 
identified v^'ith the institutions of their adopted 
country. In County Tyrone, Ireland, his birth 
occurred June 11, 1846, he being a .son of An- 
drew and Jane (White) Wasson, both of whom 
were also natives of County Tyrone. When but 
three years of age his parents emigrated to this 
countrv and located in the town of Dix, Schuvler 



County, where the father purchased fifty acres of 
land, which is now owned by his son, Matthew 
Wasson. Here the parents spent the remainder 
of their lives, the mother dying April 16, 18S8, 
and the father April 12, 1892. 

The subject of this sketch was the youngest of 
eight children, of whom five are still living, three 
in Schuyler County, one in Steuben County, and 
a sister in Montcalm County, Mich. James F. was 
reared on the home farm and attended the com- 
mon schools in the town of Dix. In 1S64 he en- 
listed in Company D, One Hundred and Seventy- 
ninth New York Infantry, commanded by Cap- 
tain Pierson, of this county. The regiment was 
organized at Elmira, N. Y., and was commanded 
by Major Gregg, of the old Twenty-third Bat- 
talion. Immediately after its organization it was 
sent to the front and took an active part in the 
campaign against Richmond. It was in the bat- 
tle before Petersburg, June 17, in which it lost 
over one-third of its men in killed and wounded, 
took part in the series of battles in front of Pe- 
tersburg, and was also at Poplar Grove. About 
this time it went into fortified camp in that 
region. The Ninth Corps, to which the One 
Hundred and Seventy-ninth belonged, changed 
positions with the Fifth Army Corps, and was 
placed in front of Petersburg. At midnight, 
April I, a general advance was made on the 
latter place, the battle lasting all the next day, 
and in this charge the forces took many prisoners. 
At two p. M., April 2, the division led by the 
gallant One Hundred and Seventy-ninth made 
a charge on Ft. Mahone, and carried the day. 
This was conceded to be one of the most bril- 
liant charges of the entire army and decided the 
day. In this charge the regiment lost heavily, a 
great number of its oSicers being killed. From 
this place, under command of Captain Bowen, 
the regiment followed the arm\- to Burkville, and 
participated in the closing scenes of the Rebellion. 
Our subject remained with his company until 
the close of the war and was mustered out of the 
service at Alexandria. Two of his brothers were 
also in the ser\ice. Samuel, who was killed at 
the battle of Antietam, was a member of Com- 
pany A, of the Eighty-ninth New York Infantrj-. 



I50 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



John B. enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty- 
first New York Infantry, but was discliarged for 
disability. 

On receiving his discharge our subject returned 
to liis home and again engaged in farming. On 
the i2th of September, 1866, he was united in 
marriage with Miss Alice M. Ellison, a native of 
Schuyler County, and a daughter of John and 
Rachel (Ellison) Ellison, the latter being a dis- 
tant relative of her husband. He was a native of 
Ireland, born in County Tyrone, May 9, 1812, 
and came to America with his parents when a boy 
often years. Mr. and Mrs. Elli.son reside on a 
farm in the town of Reading, the father at eighty- 
three years of age and the mother at eighty-one. 
Mrs. Wasson is second in a family of five chil- 
dren, four of whom still survive and reside in this 
count)'. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wasson commenced their mar- 
ried life on a farm of eighty acres purchased by 



him in the town of Dix, and this is now the home 

of his eldest son. They resided on the farm un- 
til 1888, and in the mean time had added one 
hundred and twenty-five acres to the original 
purchase. In 1885 Mr. Wasson disposed of one 
farm of one hundred acres to his son-in-law, David 
Thompson, and purchased one hundred and fifty 
acres one mile north of Townsend. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Wasson four children were born: Wallace 
J., now residing on the old homestead: Ella E., 
wife of David Thompson, of the town of Dix; 
Charles and Carrie, at home. In politics Mr. 
Wasson has always been a Republican, and re- 
ligiously he and his wife and daughter Ella are 
members of the Sugar Hill Presbyterian Church, 
of which he his been a member since twenty-one 
years of age, and in which he has been an Elder 
for the last twenty years. For the .same length 
of time he has been a member of Jefferson Lodge 
No. 332, F. & A. M., of Watkins. 





^^ Id O r-^- 



-■^5' 




GEN. AUGUSTUS DECATUR AYRES. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



15; 




mEN. AUGUSTUS DECATUR AYRES, late 
l_ of Romulus, outlived the allotted time of 
\^ man, dying full of years and honors Sep- 
tember 8, 1885, at the age of seventy-six. His 
parents, Zebulon and Sarah (Scudder) Ayres, 
were natives of New Jersey, coming to New York 
in 1815. They settled on a five-hundred-acre 
tract, and the original homestead isstillinthe 
family. Zebulon Ayres was born at Providence, 
N. J., January 22, 1775, and his wife, Sarah 
Scudder, was born in that state December 20, 
1780. They were united in marriage December 
31, 1803, and became the parents of nine chil- 
dren, of whom one daughter, Mrs. Nancy Han- 
nah, is the onl)- one living. The eldest child, 
Eliza Maria, died in infancy. Sally Marie died 
at the age of twenty-two jears. Augustus De- 
catur is our subject. Richard Scudder died in 
the year 1842, aged thirty-two, leaving no fam- 
ily. Louise married Denton Gurnee, of Rom- 
ulus, and died when about eighty years of 
age; she had one daughter, now Mrs. Charles 
A. Munn. Rebecca married Isaac Allen, and 
died in 1870. Nancy married Francis H. Han- 
nah, who resided in Hinsdale, 111., but who car- 
ried on a lumber business in Chicago. He died 
in 1887, and the widow still resides in Hin.sdale. 
They had three daughters. Josiah died at the 
age of nine years. Anson G. died at Hinsdale, 
111., in 1894, leaving two children: Mary Louise, 

3 



Mrs. Welby Carlton, of Hinsdale; and Frank, a 
hardware dealer of Hin.sdale, and the only male 
member of the family now living to carry the 
name down to posterity The parents of our 
.subject died on the old homestead. 

General Ayres, the subject of this sketch, was 
the eldest son of the family, and retained the old 
homestead, buying out the other heirs. Septem- 
ber 24, 1862, the General was married to Belle E. 
Hannah, sister of Francis H. Hannah, and 
daughter of Elihu L. and Anna CMcCann) Han- 
nah, of St. Clair, Mi(;h. Mrs. Ayres was born at 
Erie, Pa., but at the time of her marriage to 
General Ayres was living with relatives in Ne- 
braska Cit}-. There were no children born of this 
union. 

As a land surveyor the General surveyed many 
farms in Seneca County. He was a member of 
the old military national guard, being an officer 
in his company, and was raised to the rank of 
Brigadier-General in the state troops by Governor 
Macy . In politics he was first a Whig, and on the 
organization of the Republican party allied him- 
self with it, and remained a faithful adherent un- 
til his death. He was in bearing modest and un- 
assuming, but his worth was appreciated by the 
public, and he was kept more or less in public 
view. His father and mother were recognized as 
pillars f)fthe Presbyterian Church, and he took up 
the work where they left off, and was a worthy 



154 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



successor to worthy workers. He contributed to 
the building of the church at Romulus, and was 
one of the first to select and pay for a pew when 
the church was completed. This seat is still re- 
tained as a family relic. He was a member of 
this church for fifty years. 

There was none of the sluggard in the compo- 
sition of General Ayres, as he was always at 
work and kept at it to the end. The last thing 
he did before the closing of life's drama was to 
visit the reapers in the field to oversee some nec- 
essary repairs. The farm on which he resided 
contained one hundred and forty acres, and be- 
sides this he was also a stockholder iu the rail- 
road at the time of its building. Until the last 
he retained full control of his business affairs, and 
when his light went out the feeling of gloom was 
perceptible in the entire community. The foot- 
prints he left on the sands of time are worthy of 
being followed by the generations to follow him. 



NARRISOX CHAMBERLAIN is recognized 
as one of the most enterprising business men 
of Seneca Falls. He has been connected 
with its industries for many \ears, and in all his 
undertakings has been successful, being at the 
present time proprietor of the National Yeast 
Factory, Director of the Exchange National Bank, 
owner of the Seneca Falls Woolen Mills (now 
leased to Hugh Sheridan), also of two flouring- 
mills, besides other valuable property, including 
two farms in the town of Seneca Falls, and one in 
Fayette. His fine dwelling on Cayuga vStreet is 
a model of convenience and comfort. He was 
born in the town of Seneca Falls, January 12, 
1837, ^"'1 's third in a family of nine children 
born to Jacob P. and Catharine iKuneyj Cham- 
berlain, the former a native of Massachusetts, and 
the latter of New York. John Chamberlain, the 
grandfather of our subject, was also a native of 



Massachusetts, of English descent, his ancestors 
emigrating from England at a very early day. 

Jacob P. Chamberlain mo\ed from Cortland, 
N. Y., to Waterloo, then to the town of Yarick, 
where he taught school a number of jears, and 
where he bought and operated a farm. While 
living in \'arick, he married Catharine Kuney, a 
daughter of Frederick Kuney, who was of Ger- 
man descent. Subsequently he moved to a farm 
in Seneca Falls, and soon after, becoming inter- 
ested in the industries of the village, moved here 
and made it his home until the time of his death, 
in the fall of 1878. 

Harrison Chamberlain was reared on the home 
farm, and received his primary education in the 
public schools of the \illage of Seneca Falls. 
Later he attended Mynderse Academy, pursuing 
the academical course, and then entered Genesee 
College, in Livingston County, from which he 
was graduated in 1859. Returning to his home 
in Seneca Falls, he assisted his father, who was 
then proprietor of the Phoenix Woolen Mills, and 
continued with him until 1864, when his father 
.sold the mill. He then took his father's interest 
in the large flouring-mill, and in connection car- 
ried on a wholesale business in flour until the 
mills burned. Rebuilding the mill, he continued 
to operate it until 1878, when he disposed of his 
interest and took entire charge of the business 
of the National Yeast Company, which was es- 
tablished in July, 1870, its projector being Henrj- 
Se>inour, who for many years was engaged in 
trade in Seneca Falls. Having been connected 
with a distillery in early life, and gaining a 
knowledge of fermentation, Mr. Seymour experi- 
mented considerably in manufacturing yeast cakes 
before opening his factory, discovering a formula 
which secured marvelous results in the leavening 
properties of the yeast cake, and the length of 
time this element was retained in the product. 

Advanced in years, Mr. Seymour could not put 
the energy in the business necessary, and so in- 
duced his son-in-law, Mr. Chamberlain, to enter 
the business as a partner, the firm becoming Sey- 
mour & Chamberlain. The latter gave vigor to 
the bu.siness, and within a few months the facili- 
ties of the factory were entirely inadequate to fill 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



155 



the demand for the product. October i, 1870, a 
location wa.-; secured, and in twenty days from 
that date a brick building, 32.XS0 feet, three 
stories high, besides basement, together with a 
wing 18x32 feet, of same height, was erected. 
The business ot the firm increased rapidly, and 
other additions to the building were made, yet 
the demand taxed the facilities to their utmost. 
A slight falling off in the demand was occasioned 
by the general depression of 1S76-77, but in 1878, 
when Mr. Chamberlain again assumed active 
management of the business, increased sales con- 
tinued up to 1S90, when a precarious condi- 
tion of trade faced all manufacturers of dry -hop 
yeast. The \'ienna, or soft, yeast, even before 
this, very largely controlled the city consump- 
tion, and, being quick and convenient in its action, 
had acquired a powerful hold. Its success had 
encouraged the investment of large capital by 
others, and soon there were several other large 
companies on the market with a similar soft yeast. 
The dry -hop yeast, though in many respects pro- 
ducing a better bread, could not meet this com- 
petition, and as a result it has been largel}^ forced 
out of the field. The only prospect of revival, 
or of continuing the trade, depends on the suc- 
cess of experiments that shall demonstrate the 
practicability of uniting in this form of fermenta- 
tion the excellent qualities of the dry-hop with the 
quick and immediate action of the soft yeast. 

Mr. Chamberlain is the owner of the large 
woolen-mills here, which he lea.sesto Hugh Sher- 
idan, and he also owns two malthouses and a 
storehouse. He assisted in the organization of 
the Exchange National Bank of Seneca Falls, and 
was its President for five years. This bank is 
the successor of the National Exchange Bank, 
which in February, 1885, decided to go out of 
business. On the 25th of February of that year, 
the bank building was purchased at auction bj- 
Mr. Chamberlain for $28,050. The bank was 
then re-organized, with Mr. Chamberlain as Pres- 
ident, and it has cnjo\ed prosperity during its 
entire existence, being regarded as the leading 
bank of the county. Although retired from the 
Presidency, he still retains his stock, and is one 
of the Directors of the bank. 



In 1868 Mr. Chamberlain married Miss Ophe- 
lia G. Seymour, a daughter of Henry and Su.sau 
Seymour, of Seneca Falls. To them were born 
four children, two sons and two daughters, name- 
ly: John P.; Willis T., who died in 1886; Mary 
D. and Alice F. In politics Mr. Chamberlain 
is a stanch Republican, taking an active part in 
political affairs, and for several years was a mem- 
ber of the Republican vState Committee. Upon 
all subjects of general interest Mr. Chamberlain 
is well ver.sed. 



ILIJAM M. FOLLET, M. D., a homeo- 
pathic phy.sician and surgeon at Seneca 
Falls, is a native of the village, born Au- 
gust 25, 1861, and is a .son of Gilbert Follet. 
The latter, born in Prince Edward Island, Canada, 
in 1833, was there reared to manhood, learn- 
ing the trade of a carpenter and joiner. Subse- 
quently he came to Seneca Falls, where he was 
engaged as a contractor and builder for a number 
of years, and later moved to a farm two miles 
from the village, where he now li\es a retired 
life. He married Mi.ss Margaret McWillianis, 
who was born in the town of Seneca Falls, and 
was a daughter of Samuel INIcWilliams, a native 
of New York, but of Scotch descent. Slie died 
on the farm in 1892. The Follets are of English 
descent, the grandfather of our subject emigrating 
from England and locating near Albany, N. Y. 
To Gilbert and Margaret Follet were born two 
children: William M., our subject; andMarj'B., 
the wife of Herbert S. Wilbur, an atlorncv at 
Rochester, N. Y. 

In early childhood our subject removed with 
his parents to the farm where he grew to man- 
hood. His early education was gleaned in the 
district .schools, and later he entered Seneca Falls 
Academy, where he finished the course. On 
leaving .school, he read medicine for a lime, and 



156 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



then took a three-j-ears course at Cleveland 
University of Medicine and Surgen', from which 
he was graduated in 1887. After graduating he 
served in the homeopathic hospital in Cle\eland 
University of Mediciue and Surgerj-, and later in 
the homeopathic hospital at Buffalo, X. Y. From 
the latter place he went to Geneva, N. Y., where 
for one year he took charge of the practice of Dr. 
N. B. Cobert, who was ill. He then opened an 
office in Rochester, where he remained six 
months, and then returned to his old home at 
Seneca Falls, where he has since engaged in gen- 
eral practice, and has been highly successful. 

Dr. Follet was married, December 26, 1888, to 
Miss Julia A. Uhlhorn, of New York City. The 
Doctor is a member of the Seneca County Homeo- 
pathic Medical Society: of the New York State 
Homeopathic Medical Society: of the Rochester 
Homeopathic Association, and of the Central New 
York Homeopathic Medical Society. For three 
terms Dr. Follet served as Health Officer of the 
village of Seneca Falls, two years as phjsician of 
the town of Seneca Falls, and one term as Coun- 
ty Physician. He is a skillful physician, and has 
a large and constanth- growing practice. He re- 
sides on Cayuga Street, one of the principal resi- 
dent streets of the village. 



0AVID A. LAMB. One of the most note- 
worthy establishments in Altay, Schuyler 
County, is the manufactory of which Mr. 
Lamb is the proprietor. Here is manufactured a 
large variety of baskets, which he can guarantee 
to his customers for superiority of material, style 
and durability. He is well known for his enter- 
prise, energy and push, and richly deserves the 
large measure of popularity and prosperity which 
he now enjoys. He was born in WaNiie, Steu- 
ben County, this state, January 7, 1831, and is 



the son of John R. and Eunice C. (Stone) Lamb, 
both natives of this state. The father is deceased, 
passing from this life when in his sixty-fifth 
year. Mrs. Lamb still survives and is now ad- 
vanced in years. 

Our subject was three years of age when his 
parents removed to the town of Pultene\-, Steuben 
Connt\-, where he li\ed until in his seventeenth 
year. He then returned to Wayne and made his 
home there until 1S61, when we find him en 
route for Yates County, where he worked out for 
some twenty months. At the expiration of that 
time, however, he again returned to Wayne and 
invested his earnings in a tract of seventy-five 
acres of land, and was theie industriously en- 
gaged in farming until the spring of 1877. That 
year he sold out his farming interests and came 
to Altay, where he built a shingle-mill, operating 
the same for the following six years. As he was 
then offered a good price for his plant, he sold 
out and erected a factory, which he superintended 
until the spring of 189 1. That year he engaged in 
the manufacture of baskets, in which business he is 
now quite extensively engaged. He pos.sesses the 
confidence and patronage of a discriminating pub- 
lic, and his unremitting industry and energj-, as 
well as his upright dealing, have made his house 
a thoroughly reliable one. 

Mr. Lamb was married in Wayne, on Chri.st- 
mas Day, 1853, to Miss Sylvia Jacobus, who was 
born in that place December 23, 1833. The lat- 
ter' s parents, John and Sarah (Bennett) Jacobus, 
were born, respectively, in New Jersey and New 
York. To Mr. and Mrs. Lamb were granted 
two children. Henry, born August 4, 1S56, was 
foreman of the .switch-yards of Winona, Minn., 
and was accidentally killed July 3, 1895. He 
left a wife, Eva (Shattuick) Lamb, and two chil- 
dren, Leon and Lena. Sarah Lamb, the other 
member of the household, was born in Milo, 
Yates County, N. Y.,July i, 1861. She became 
the wife of Frank E. Gregory, and died Novem- 
ber 26, 1885, leaving two children, Cleda L. and 
Sarah, the latter of whom died in infancy. Mrs. 
Lamb is a valued member of the Altay Baptist 
Church and takes an active part in its various 
meetings. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



"57 



As a citizen, out subject is public-spirited and 
has done much for the best interests of the com- 
munity. He is a Republican in politics, and on 
this ticket was elected Assessor and Excise Com- 
missioner. 






"JJEORGE a. HANMER is a gentleman of 
__ good business ability, and at present is a 
^ successful farmer of the town of Tyrone, 
Schuyler County. He is well known in this lo- 
cality, as his birth occurred here November 14, 

1849. 

The parents of our subject were Lewis and 
Caroline (Heist) Hanmer, natives of Tyrone, 
Schuyler County, where they now reside. They 
are farmers by occupation, and are well known 
and very highly esteemed in their community for 
their upright manner of life. Their son George 
A. was reared and educated in his native count}-, 
and there were inculcated in his youthful mind 
the lessons usualh- learned by a farmer lad. He 
attended the early schools conducted in the dis- 
trict, and fitted himself for the later duties of life. 
Afterward he became a student at Starkey Sem- 
inary, from which he was graduated with the 
Cla.ss of '69, and then, wishing to gain a good 
knowledge of business methods, he took a course 
in Eastman's Business College at Poughkeepsie, 
receiving a diploma from the .same the following 
year. 

Mr. Hanmer, of this history, went to Ionia 
County, Mich., in 1877. and remained there en- 
gaged in farming until the fall of tliat year, when 
he removed to Jack.son County, that .state. He 
there met his future wife, to whom he was mar- 
ried November 14, 1S77. She was formerly 
known as Miss Cordelia A. Hicks, and was the 
daughter of Solomon and Christine Hicks. Her 
birth occurred in New York, December 12, 1858, 



and, like her husband, she is well educated and 
conversant with all current topics of interest. 

On his return to Schuyler County, in 1878, 
Mr. Hanmer settled in the town of Tyrone, where 
he has contiiuied to reside ever since. He has 
followed agricultural pursuits all his life, and is 
a thoroughly wide-awake and progressive citizen. 
His estate comprises one hundred and twenty 
acres, and is furnished with the latest improved 
machinery, and further improved by the substan- 
tial and commodious buildings. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Hanmer there have l)een 
granted two children: Eulalia A., born October 
16, 1879; and Edna, born June 11, 1S81. Our 
subject always takes a very active part in local 
affairs, and is an enthusiastic supporter of Repub- 
lican candidates and principles. 

The father of Mrs Hainner was born October 
27, 1833, and while working in the woods on his 
farm, March 30, i86i, was killed. His wife, 
who, prior to her marriage, was known as Miss 
Christine Powell, was born February 2, 1833, and 
now makes her home in Bradford. Mr. and Mrs. 
Hicks were the parents of four children, two sons 
and two daughters, of whom Mrs. Hanmer was 
the third in order of birth. For a full history of 
this family, we refer the reader to the sketch of 
their son, Albert Hicks, which is published on 
another page in this volume. 



— ■^o>- . ^— - — •~<<r^ 



(lOHN E. RICHARDSON. The position of 
I prominence held by Mr. Richardson among 
O the attorneys of Seneca County is due to his 
thorough knowledge of every department of the 
law, and to his energetic disposition, which has 
permitted him to stop at nothing short of suc- 
cess. The village of Waterloo has been his life- 
long home, and here he was born September 10, 
1846. His father, James K., was one of the 



i.sS 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



earl}- settlers or this part of the state, and estab- 
lished his home in West Burlington, Otsego 
County, in 1S17. An attorney by profession, he 
was a niaji respected in ever\- walk of life — a 
fact that was shown by his selection for the seri- 
ous and respon.sible position of Count\- Judge, 
he being among the very first to be chosen for of- 
fice on the organization of the county. 

For a time in early life, James K. Richard- 
son taught school in this county, and also in So- 
dus, Wayne County. In politics he was an old- 
line Whig, and when the time came for the or- 
ganization of the Repubhcan party he was ac- 
tively associated with some of the able men of the 
state in its formation. Under Isaac Fuller, Clerk, 
he served as Deputy County Clerk, and he also 
held the position of District Attorney. For many 
years he made his home in Waterloo, and here he 
died in 1875, full of years and ripe with honors. 
His wife. Mabel, was a daughter of Quartus and 
Xancy Knight, and came to this village with 
them at the age of seven years. She died here 
in May, 188.S, at the age of sevent\-five. 

The subject of this sketch is the third among 
five chiklren who attained mature years, he hav- 
ing two sisters and two brothers. One brother, 
Charles E., formerly a resident of Waterloo, died 
here in 1892. Mr. Richardson attended the com- 
mon .school in this village. Under Judge Ster- 
ling G. Hadley he gained the rudiments of his 
legal education, and afterward attended the law 
school at Albany, graduating in 1868. He then 
returned to Waterloo, ami began the practice of 
law. For more than a (|uarter of a century he 
has clo.sely applied himself to his profession, the 
only ab.sence he has had being when he was sick 
for eighteen months. 

To Mr. Richardson has come a fair share of the 
honors of office and the favors of his fellow-citi- 
zens. In 1870 he was elected Justice of the 
Peace, in 1876 Police Ju.stice, in 1878 became 
Supervisor of the town of Waterloo (which posi- 
tion he held four years), and in 1886-S7 was Trus- 
tee of the Second Ward. November 5, 1895, he 
was honored by being elected to the office of 
County Judge and Surrogate in and for Seneca 
Countv In politics he has not been closely con- 



fined to party, but feels himself free to act and 
vote for the best interests of the whole country. 
Yet he has bound himself to the hearts of his own 
people, .so that men of every shade of opinion do 
not he.sitate to vote for him and put him for- 
ward as a representative man. 

September 7, 1871, Mr. Richardson married 
Miss Allena Chamberlin, who died, leaving one 
son, James. His .second wife was Alice, daugh- 
ter of William B. Mickley. In church matters 
he has been for some years an active and consist- 
ent member of the Presbvterian Church. 



HON. BAXTER T. SMELZER, M. D. Of 
the public men whom Schuyler County has 
given to the state, few have gained greater 
prominence and influence than the subject of this 
article, and it is therefore fitting, in a volume 
dedicated to the public-spirited citizens of this lo- 
cality, that considerable mention should be made 
of his life and work. Since the age of twenty-two 
he has made his home in Havana, but recently he 
removed his family to Albany, where his official 
duties have required his presence much of the 
time for some years. 

In the town of Lodi, Seneca County, Baxter T. 
Smelzer was born March 27. 1852, a .son of 
Philip Smelzer, a man of pure life and high char- 
acter. The rudiments of our subject's education 
were obtained in the common .schools, after which 
he attended the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at 
Lima, N. V., and Syracuse Uni\-ersity. Early 
in life he determined upon a professional career, 
and, preferring the study of medicine, turned his 
attention to it. He was a student in the medical 
department of the Michigan State University at 
Ann Arbor, and later entered Bellevue Hospital 
in New York City, from which he was graduated 
in 1874. 

At the age of twent\ -two Dr. Smelzer com- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



159 



meticed the practice of his profession in Havana, 
where his youthful appearance secured for him 
the name of the "hoy doctor." Ho\ve\er, his 
ability as a ph>'siciau was soon recognized and his 
position in the profession established. Ilis inter- 
est ill public matters and his aliility as a leader in 
politics were also apparent at an early period of 
his residence in Havana. Believing it the duty 
of every good citizen to gi\e attention to all mat- 
ters connected with the welfare of the state, he 
has therefore been active in politics. A .stanch 
Republican, he is a member of the Republican 
State League, was Chairman of the Central Com- 
mittee for several years. President of the \'illage 
Board a number of terms, member of the Boaril 
of Education for four successive terms, and Pres- 
ident of the board for six years. 

In 1893 Dr. Smelzer was elected to represent 
the Twenty-seventh Senatorial District, and this 
office he filled with distinguished ability, his able 
services winning commendation from all progress- 
ive citizens. Wliile a member of the Senate he 
was Chairman of the committee appointed to in- 
vestigate the State Board of Health, the result of 
which was a large saving to the state. It was 
the only committee that fini.shed its business and 
made a report in full before adjournment. He 
was instrumental in the passage of various bills, 
one being the maintaining of the Public Health 
Law. He al.so secured the passage of several 
liills in the interest of the medical profession, and 
was chiefly instrumental in having the county 
agricultural societies receive an increased amount 
from the "Ives Pool Bill." Among his other 
services were the securing of a number of appro- 
priations for Schuyler County and a new charter 
for the city of Elmira. He originated the "Tu- 
berculosis Bill, ' ■ which appointed a commission to 
investigate the diseases of cattle and their general 
condition. 

In his chosen profession Dr. Smelzer is favora- 
bly known throughout Schuyler and adjoining 
counties. His specialt\- has been surgerj-, and 
during the latter period of his residence in Ha- 
vana, owing to the numerous public demands 
upon his time, his attention professionally was 
confined almost entirelv to surgerv and consulta- 



tion. He is a member of the County and State 
Medical Associations and the Elmira Academy of 
Medicine. In June, 1895, he was appointed Sec- 
retary of the State Board of Health, which re- 
sponsible position he is now filling. 

In 1S76 Dr. Smelzer married Miss Luc>- A. 
Tracy, a lady of literary tastes, whose father, 
Peter Tracy, was one of the first Presidents of 
the Chemung Bank of Elmira and Pre.sident of 
the Chemung Railroad. They are the parents of 
two sons. Few men of Schuyler County have 
been more highly honored than Dr. Smelzer. In 
his profession he is able, and in his official life 
honorable and efficient. He is a genial and affa- 
ble man, one with whom it is a pleasure to meet. 



DMUND S. LEGGETT will long be remem- 
'3 bered by the residents of the town of Co- 
^ vert, Seneca Count)', among whom he made 
his home for many years. During his life he was 
a successful fanner, and by personal sacrifice and 
persevering industry gained a good property and 
a comfortable income. 

A native of this state, our subject was born in 
Putnam County, February 23, 1810. His par- 
ents were Morris and Lydia ( Plopkins ) Leggett, 
who reared a family of si.\ sons and two daugh- 
ters, all of whom are now deceased. Mr. and 
Mrs. Leggett came with their family to this coun- 
ty in 1815, and at once took up their abode on 
the tract of land which was formerly owned by 
their son, Edmtind S., of this sketch. Here they 
were successful in tilling the soil, but the home 
was soon darkened by the death of the husband 
and father, who pa.ssed from this life when forty 
years of age. Of his brothers and sisters we 
make the following mention: Hackaliah was a 
prominent ph\sician and skilled surgeon of Mis- 
sissippi; Aner married George Crandall. and 
moved to Ohio, where she died; Carsa T. was 



i6o 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



also a successful physician of Mississippi; Anson 
was engaged in teaching school at the time of his 
decease, which occurred in young manhood; 
Ezra was an attorney; William was a preacher of 
the Baptist faith: and Clarissa died unmarried. 

Our subject was educated in the district schools, 
and remained with his parents until his marriage 
to Miss Marinda, daughter of Daniel and Olive 
(Morgan) Barto, which event took place Oc- 
tober 13. 1S40. Mrs. Leggett was one in a 
family of seven children. Her brother Roswell, 
who is now deceased, was formerly a fanner; Me- 
lissa married Smith Darling, and is also de- 
ceased; Mary was formerly the wife of William 
Barto, but is now deceased; Martha, who became 
Mrs. Franklin Smith, is also deceased; Henry is 
a farmer of McLean, N. Y.; Charles, who was a 
Baptist minister, is deceased. 



To our subject and his wife there were born 
the four following children: Olive L. and Sarah, 
deceased; Courtnej', the wife of Alfred Hopkins; 
and Cortez D. The latter married Miss Frank 
Graves, and died in 1887. 

The home farm, which is now conducted by 
Alfred Hopkins, and which contains one hundred 
acres, was managed by our subject when a lad of 
fifteen years, his father having died at that time. 
He afterward purchased the estate, and to him is 
due the credit for the splendid class of improve- 
ments which it bears. Mr. Leggett departed this 
life June 6, 1893, ^^i^ demise being lamented by 
the entire communitj-, as he was a man whose 
character was above reproach in every way, and 
one who served as a fit representative of the best 
class of the early residents of the county. Mrs. 
Leggett passed away October 6, 1895. 




I'KTEK H. DEY. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



163 




PIERSON DEY. 



^-^^^^K^ 




PNlERSON DEY. In the town of Fayette, 
L^ Seneca County, Mr. Dey owns seventy-five 
yS acres of ver\' productive land, and upon this 
place he resides, devoting his attention to the 
cultivation of the soil and the improvement of the 
farm. This estate is conveniently located within 
four miles of Geneva, a beautiful little village on 
the banks of Seneca Lake. 

Mr. Dey was born in this count)- January 26, 
1845, to Peter B. and Mary Dey. The former 
was born in New Jersey, June 30, 1812, and was 
in turn the son of Pierson, Sr. , and Sarah (Con- 
over) Dej-. The mother of our subject, whose 
maiden name was also Dey, was born in the town 
of Fayette, November 20, 1823, and was a daugh- 
ter of Gilbert and Mary ( Kenner) Dey. The 
former was born Augu.st 24, 1791, and was the 
son of Richard Dey, who is mentioned elsewhere 
in this volume. 

Peter B., the father of our subject, grew to 
manhood in the town of Fayette and received a 
very fair common-school education. After attain- 
ing his majority he left the jiarental roof and be- 
gan to work out by the month. Soon after his 
marriage, however, which occurred December 24, 
1840, he rented property, which he cultivated on 
shares until he had laid by a sufficient sum to 
enable hiui to purcha.se a farm of his own. The 
first tract which he bought consisted of fifty-two 
acres, and after living on the same fur a few 
years he bought the seventy- five acres on which 



his son, our subject, now makes his home. He 
moved on this place in 1853, and was for many 
years thereafter engaged in its cultivation and 
improvement. Although not a politician, he al- 
ways voted the Democratic ticket. He departed 
this life September 16, i8gi, and his remains 
were interred in Glenwood Cemetery at Geneva. 

The parental household included two children, 
the sister of our subject being 'Sirs. Mary Em- 
eline Conover, the wife of vS. S. Conover, whose 
biography also appears in this volume. Pierson 
was a lad of eight years when his parents took 
pos.session of the tract on which he now lives. 
He attended the district schools of this neighbor- 
hood, and when seventeen years old began to 
work out for himself and make his own way in 
the world. His first work was in operating a 
threshing-machine owned by his father, the pro- 
ceeds from which he was allowed to call his own. 

Mr. Dey was married, January 8, 186S, to Miss 
Susan A. Gambee, whose birth occurred in the 
town of \'arick, September 11, 1845. She was 
the daughter of Joseph B. and Joan (Troutmau) 
Gambee, by whom she was given the ojiportunilx- 
for gaining a good education. To our subject 
and his esiimable wife there have been born two 
children. Anna, whose birth occurred in the town 
of \'arick, April 11, 187 1, is well educated. 
Peter B., whose birth also took place in that lo- 
cality, November 20, 1878, is attending the com- 
mon schools. 



164 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



For several years after his marriage Mr. Dey 
continued to live in Varick. after which he spent 
some time with his parents in their home. Later, 
however, he purchased a tract of fifty-two acres 
in Varick, but sub.seqnently sold out and re- 
turned home, and since his father's death has 
taken charge of the farm, which he operates in a 
very successful and intelligent manner. In poli- 
tics he is a stanch Democrat, and on the ticket 
of that party was elected Supervisor of the town 
of Fayette, discharging the duties of the office in 
a satisfactory manner for two years. 



•*-H 



8-*- 



-*->^^Msr-rre*- 



HERMAN F. BREHM, who.se home is just 
west of the corporate limits of Waterloo, 
Seneca County, was born on this place, 
Julv 24, 1861. His parents, Frederick C. and 
Elizabeth (Kunz) Brehm, were natives of Ger- 
many, the former born in AUendorf, and the lat- 
ter in Rillshausen, Hesse-Cassel. 

Frederick Brehm was a lad of ten years when 
he made the journey across the Atlantic, in the 
year 1846. He was accompanied on this trip by 
his mother, and together they joined the husband 
and father, Herman Brehm, who had come to Am- 
erica two years previously. The latter was born 
at Rothenburg, province of Hesse-Nassau, Ger- 
many, May 26, 1796, and was the youngest son 
but one of a large family of children. An older 
brother, John, perished in tlie campaign of Na- 
poleon in Russia, probably at Smolensk. Reared 
amid the exciting scenes then being enacted by 
the Napoleonic Wars, he saw and remembered 
much which transpired in those historic times, 
when Germany was overridden by the French, 
each family of any ability being required to sup- 
ply its quota of food and shelter to the French 
soldiers, his own among the rest. On several 
occasions he saw the great Napoleon, and too 



often witnessed the effects of his generalship on 
German soil. His descriptions of the appearance 
of Jena after the battle and of similar scenes were 
mo.st interesting. 

After the usual term of schooling the grandfa- 
ther was apprenticed to the nailmaker's trade, of 
which he became master. Between the years 
1846 and 1849 he worked for J. R. Webster in 
the soap business, and in 1849 established a soap 
factory on the place where his grandson now 
lives, and where he engaged in the manufacture 
of candles and soap during the remainder of his 
life. While a journeyman nailmaker he traveled 
pretty thoroughly over Germany and Poland, 
and could tell something of almost any town of 
note in those countries. Endowed with a re- 
tentive memory, and being a keen observer of 
the ways of men, traveling about before the days 
of railroading, he saw much of the every-day life 
of the people among whom he moved, and had 
an inexhaustible fund of stories about them. 
Being past middle life when he emigrated to 
1 America, he found it difficult to converse fluently 
; in English, and always spoke in his native tongue 
when convenient. It was for this reason that he 
; attended, whenever possible, services at the Ger- 
man Lutheran Church at Bearytown or Seneca 
Falls, whose pa.stor was the late Rev. Diedrich 
Willers. The latter he held as his steadfast 
friend. Strange as it may seem, they were nearly 
the same age, and died about the same day, April 
29, 1883. Although coming to the New World 
a poor man, the grandfather pro.spered in his 
ventures, and at the time of his death left his fam- 
ily in comfortable, circum.stances. 

The grandparents of our subject had a family 
of twenty-two children, only two of whom grew 
to mature years, and Frederick C. was the only 
one who married. He aided his father in the 
factory, and in this way became thoroughly ac- 
quainted with tlie manufacture of soap; he fol- 
lowed this business during the active years of 
his life. In 1882, however, he retired, at which 
time our subject took charge of the factory. In 
1859 the father was married to Miss Kunz in 
Cayuga County, she having located there with 
her parents on her arrival from the Fatherland. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



•65 



Thej- became the parents of three daughters and 
three sons, of whom Herman F. was tlie second- 
horn. Tlie eldest, Christina, makes her home 
in Rochester; Minnie A. married George F. 
Schrader, and is Hkewise a resident of Rochester; 
F. Elizabeth is teaching in the public schools of 
Waterloo; C. J. B. died aged thirteen months; 
and Frederick \V. is engaged in business in 
Rochester. 

The father of the above family, who is a resi- 
dent of Waterloo, is a Democrat in politics, and 
on this ticket serv^ed in many responsible offices. 
For some time he was Town Clerk and A.s.se.ssor, 
and also was Commissioner of Highways. In 
his native land he attended school until the re- 
moval of the family to America, after which he 
was a pupil in the schools of his home district. 
He is well read and well informed on the topics 
of the day, and is an interesting conversational- 
ist. He was reared in the faith of the German 
Lutheran Church, but after coming to America 
became identified with the Episcopal Church. 
Socially he is a Ma.soii. 

Herman F. Brehm was educated in the public 
schools of Waterloo, and after attaining his twen- 
t>-first >ear purchased the .soap business from his 
father. This he is now carrying on, and he is in 
command of a good wholesale trade in textile 
soaps for woolen-mills. 

Mr. Brehm and Miss Grace W. Batsford, of 
Waterloo, were united in marriage May ig, 1891. 
She was born in this village, and completed her 
education in the Waterloo Union School. Her 
parents were Edwiti and Elizabeth (Wall) Bats- 
ford, highly esteemed residents of this locality. 
To our subject and his wife has been granted a 
daughter, Gertrude, who was born on the home 
farm, July 26, 1892. 

In politics Mr. Brehm is a Democrat on na- 
tional affairs, but in local elections usually votes 
for the best man, regardless of partj- lines. He 
is decided in his opinions concerning temperance, 
and has done much toward establishing reform 
in his comnumit)-. With his wife, he is a mem- 
ber of the Episcopal Church. In January, 1894, 
he was appointed Deputy Collector of Customs, 
under the su])cr\ision of the Collector at Roches- 



ter. Socially he is a Mason, and has taken the 
commandery degree and filled mo.st of the offices 
in the blue lodge. In 1891 he formed one of 
the party of Knights Templar who took a trip to 
Europe, on which famous expedition he visited 
Ireland, Wales, England, France and his parents' 
old home in Germany. In 1S86 Mr. Brehm 
erected his present fine residence. He gives 
.strict attention to business and possesses the con- 
fidence of the entire communitv. 



(^ 



1^' 



:^ 



^ 



EAPT. MORRIS J. GILBERT holds the very 
exacting position of Steward of Willard State 
Ho.spital, and the fact that he has continued 
in that position without a break since March, 
1873, .shows better than any words can do his ca- 
pacity for the work, and his ability for adminis- 
tering the duties of so important a place. Cap- 
tain Gilbert is a native of Middlesex, Vates 
County, where he was born November 16, 1831, 
the son of Samuel and Sarah (Brown) Gilbert. 
His father was a native of Seneca County, and 
his mother was born in New Jersey. His pater- 
nal grandfather was John Gilbert, who was born 
on Long Island, where his ancestors had resided 
for many generations, .Sir Huniphre\- Gilbert 
probabl\- being the most conspicuous ancestor of 
our subject. 

John Gilbert came to Seneca Counts- among the 
ver\' first of the hardy compans- that came to con- 
vert a wilderness into a garden of the Lord. He 
located near .Seneca Lake, in the town of Fayette, 
but after a time removed to Yates Conntv. From 
there he went to Allegany County, and finally to 
Springwater, Livingston County, where he died 
at the advanced age of nearly one hundred years. 
It is somewhat remarkable and unusual that his 
wife should have lived to almost the same age. 
Perhaps their great longevit\- may in part be 



1 66 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



accounted for from the fact that the}- were farm- 
ers all their da}S and lived very simply and ab- 
stemiously. 

John Gilbert and wife had a large family, of 
whom Samuel Gilbert, the father of the subject of 
this sketch, was the eldest son. He was born in 
1800, and was also a farmer. For some years he 
was a resident of Yates County, but in 1845 he 
became a resident of Geneva, where he died at the 
age of sixt}--five. His wife lived to be eighty-two, 
and spent the last years of her life in Geneva. 
Both were associated with the Baptist Church, 
and lived earnest and consistent Christian lives. 
They were the parents of ten children, all of 
whom lived to attain their majority. 

Captain Gilbert was the sixth of this goodly 
family. He was reared on the farm and was .sent 
to the common schools to receive a practical and 
working education. In 1861 he found employment 
in the mercantile establishment of his brother 
at Geneva, and later became a partner. In 1864, 
however, he was appointed steward of the steamer 
"D. S. Magee," later became captain, and subse- 
quently held the same position on the steamer 
"Onondaga." There he was foimd ever}- season 
until 1873, when he was nominated Steward of 
the hospital by John B. Chapin. This nomina- 
tion was approved by the Board of Management, 
and his commission was signed by the Governor. 
In this po.sition he has served continuously from 
that day to this, with the approval of all parties 
interested in the management of the institution. 
He acts as purchasing agent, and the financial 
affairs of the hospital are principally under his 
control. 

Captain Gilbert was married, in 1858, to Miss 
Eliza Simonds, daughter of William Simonds. 
She was a native of New Hampshire, but at the 
time of her marriage was living in Yates County. 
She died in 1868, leaving two children. William 
Morris, a minister of the Episcopal Church, is 
First Assistant Pastor at Grace Church in Balti- 
more. His wife, Fannie, is the daughter of Dr. 
John B. Chapin, Superintendent of the Pennsyl- 
vania Ho.spital for the Insane, located at West 
Philadelphia. They have one son, Morris. Our 
subject's daughter, Bessie, married Ivdwin R. 



Bishop, and died in Willard, in 1894, after bear- 
ing her husband two children, Edwin and Morris. 
Captain Gilbert was a second time married, Miss 
Martha, daughter of Jonathan Baley, of Yates 
County, becoming his wife. She is the mother 
of two children, Marian and John Park. 

In politics Captain Gilbert is a Republican and 
has held several local offices, but he has no in- 
clination for party manipulations. The position 
that he fills demands and receives all of his ener- 
gies. In religion he is a member of the Episco- 
pal Church, and socially is interested in the Ma- 
sonic fraternity. He is a member of the various 
organizations of that society and has taken the 
Knight-Templar degree. 



- — •>*<®^ps^^S<»- 1— f- 



NOX. LEWIS BEACH. Our subject is one 
of the venerable men of Schuyler County, as 
nearly seventy years have left their record 
on his head in whitened hair. However, he re- 
tains his honorable position by virtue of his keen 
ability and well preserved physical attributes. 
He is one of the well known farmers of the town 
of Tyrone, and in addition to working his brother 
Daniel's farm of one hundred and forty -five acres 
on .shares, also rents forty-five acres. 

Mr. Beach is a native of this town, having been 
born here January 5, 1828. He was reared on 
his father's farm and lived here until about 
twenty-five years of age, when, desirous of seeing 
something of the western country, he started for 
Wisconsin. Choosing a farm in Rock County, he 
lived there for eight years, engaged actively in 
farming. While there the Civil War broke out, 
and Lewis, being fired with the spirit of patriot- 
ism, offered his .services to the Union cause, and 
was mustered in in September, 1861, as a mem- 
ber of Company A, Thirteenth Wisconsin Infan- 
try. He served with his regiment until Novem- 
ber 19. 1864, when, his term of enlistment having 




PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



167 



expired, he returned home, and in February of 
the following year came to his native town. 
While on the field of battle he participated in 
man\- well known engagements, and suffered all 
the privations to which the .soldiers were sub- 
jected. Having dispo.sed of his farming interests 
in Wisconsin, Mr. Beach remained at home with 
his father until the death of the latter. He has 
continued to make this section his home since 
that time, with the exception of the two years 
when he lived in Polk County, Iowa, in 1871 and 
1872. Farming he has made his chief business 
in life, and in this undertaking he has met with 
success. For many years he has been cla.ssed 
among the influential and substantial residents of 
the community. 

At all times Mr. Beach has take a very active 
part in political affairs, and for several years was 
Supervisor of the town of Tyrone. In the fall' 
of 1879 he was elected to the As.sembly, and was 
re-elected in the fall of 1880. During his incum- 
bency of that position he served on various im- 
portant committees and gave perfect satisfaction 
to his constituents, whose interests were always 
of first importance with him. He has been a 
firm advocate of Republican principles ever since 
the organization of the party, and in its councils 
he is very prominent. In religious affairs he is 
liberal and is not connected with any denomina- 
tion or body. 

Hon. Lewis Beach and Miss Adelia Willis 
were united in marriage August 12, 1869. The 
lady was born in Dresden March 7, 1845, the 
daughter of Charles P. and Caroline (Deisher) 
Willis. To Mr. and Mrs. Beach there have been 
granted two sons: Philip L. , born in Mitchellville, 
Polk County, Iowa, on the 7th of December, 1872; 
and Charles W., born August 2, 1878, in Tyrone. 
Socially Mr. Beach is a prominent Mason and 
also belongs to Philip Beach Post No. 455, 
G. A. R., of which he has been Past Conunander. 

Obadiah Beach, the father of our subject, was 
born in Onondaga County, N.Y., January 8, 1804, 
and the nujther, Mary Lang, was a native of 
Westchester Comity, this state. They were mar- 
ried September 19, 1826, in the town of Tyrone, 
Schuyler County (then in Steuben County), in a 



very early day, and were identified with the in- 
terests of this section until their death, both pass- 
ing away in the same year, the mother January 
13, 1S78, and the father on the 24th of June. To 
them v^'cre born three children: Lewis, born Jan- 
uary 5, 1828; Daniel, August 29, 1830; and 
Philip L., January 26, 1836. Obadiah Beach was 
alwaws interested in matters where his community 
was concerned, and aided in various ways its up- 
building and improvement. 



->' >=#^=^ » 



— »J 



"JJlLBERT E. ROGERS. There is not a man 
__ within the limits of the town of Tyrone, 
^ vSchuyler County, who is held in more gen- 
eral respect than the subject of this notice. Self- 
made in the broadest sense of the term, his ca- 
reer illustrates in an admirable manner what may 
be accomplished by unflagging industry, perse- 
verance and good management. We find him 
the posse.s.sor of ninety-eight acres of excellent 
land, on which he has erected a good residence 
and substantial outbuildings. 

Mr. Rogers is the son of the late Dr. Emerson 
W. and Clarinda (Coykendall) Rogers, the for- 
mer of whom was likewise born in the town of 
Tyrone. He in turn was the .son of Asahel and 
Lavinnia Rogers, and was reared in his native 
town by Benjamin Sackett, his father having 
died when he was a lad of six or .seven years. In 
the schools of the neighborhood he was given a 
good education, and when ready to start in life 
for himself was married to Miss Coykendall. 
For a time he followed farming, and also engaged 
in running a sawmill with fair success. For .some 
time, however, he had been consumed with the 
desire to study medicine, and, an opportunity 
now presenting itself, he devoted himself assidu- 
ously to reading and study, and when pronounced 
fully qualified began practice. He very .soon 
built up a lucrative patronage, and thereafter fol- 



1 68 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



lowed his profession until his death, which oc- 
curred in July, 1891. His wife had died in Oc- 
tober of the previous year. They became the 
parents of five children, namely: Elizabeth, Gil- 
bert E., Sarah L., Philo and Florence. 

The subject of this sketch was born in the town 
of Tyrone, this county, April 25, 1843. He com- 
pleted his education in the common schools, and 
when ready to marry chose his wife from among 
the maidens of Allegany County, X. Y. The 
lad>- in question was Miss Mary A. Jordan, who 
became his wife February 4, 1864. Miss Jordan 
was born in the above county, and was the 
daughter of Isaiah Jordan, of that county. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Rogers there have been born 
two children: Fred E. , who married Jennie Drake; 
and L. May. They at present live on their 
beautiful farm, which the father and husband 
cultivated, although for a number o^ years after 
his marriage he operated a sawmill, as his father 
had done before him. He found it to be more 
profitable, however, to give his attention wholly 
to one branch of business, and consequently aban- 
doned the manufacture of lumber. He is a stanch, 
substantial citizen of Tyrone, and a man of ster- 
ling principles, progressive ideas and generous 
impulses. As A.sses.sor of his town, he discharges 
his duties with promptness and fidelity. He 
exerci-ses his right of franchise in favor of the 
Prohibition party. In his religious views he is 
liberal, but is a man who possesses the esteem of 
the whole neighborhood. 



•>^« 



m^tC-* c 



p6|OODEN AUGUSTUS SPEARY. Prom- 
\ A / inent among the representative and pros- 
V V perous farmers of Schuyler County is 
the worthy gentleman whose name heads this 
sketch. His life of usefulness and industry- has 
resulted in the accumulation of a good property 



in the town of Orange, where he is the proprie- 
tor of .seventy- acres of productive farming land. 

Our subject was born in Sullivan County, Pa., 
July 14, 1847, and was the son of Samuel and 
Mary (Pennington ) Speary, who emigrated to 
this portion of New York in 1865, the father at 
once selecting for his future home a tract of land 
in Sugar Hill. 

Samuel Speary was aLso a Pennsylvanian, and 
was born in Luzerne County about 181 1. He 
was a life-long farmer, and after coming to this 
state made the place above referred to his per- 
manent home, dying there of paralysis May 2, 
1S87, when in his seventy-sixth year. His widow 
survived him until 1893, when she, too, passed 
away, being at that time eighty-four years of 
age. He was a true-blue Republican in poli- 
tics, and with the exception of .some minor office 
which he held in early life, could never be pre- 
vailed upon to hold public positions. He was a 
thorough Christian, and while a resident of Penn- 
.sylvania was Class-Leader for many years. Both 
himself and wife were members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

Previous to coming to Xew York the senior 
Mr. Speary had cleared a good farm in the Key- 
stone State, and although starting out in life 
poor in this world's goods, he lived to be the 
possessor of a good property. His family in- 
cluded eight members, all of whom are living, 
with two exceptions. Our subject, who is the 
youngest of the household, is the only one living 
in New York. His sister Permelia married L. 
D. Littell, now a resident of Chicago, but for- 
merly a merchant of Altay, town of Tyrone. 

Our subject was eighteen years of age at the 
time the family came to this county. He re- 
mained at home until twentj--three years old, in 
the mean lime being given a good education in the 
schools taught in the district. He was married 
to Miss Eliza Smith, of Tyrone, in June, 1869, 
and for seven or eight years thereafter they con- 
tinued to make their home in that town. As his 
father advanced in years, he became less able to 
look after the farm, and \V. A. was called home, 
managing the estate until his father's decease, 
when he made a satisfactory settlement with the 




PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



169 



other heirs, and is now the sole owner of the 
place. For the past two years, however, he has 
resided in Sugar Hill, which is a very pretty little 
village, just one mile distant from his country 
home. 

Mrs. Eliza Speary departed this life in May, 
1879, and the lady whom our subject chose as 
his second companion, and to whom he was mar- 
ried September 3, 1881, was Miss Violet, daugh- 
ter of William Denning, of the town of Orange. 
They have been blessed by the birth of four chil- 
dren, viz.: Mary Belle, Anna Lorena, Edith \'io- 
let and Maurice W. 

Mr. Speary affiliates with the Republican party. 
He is popular among the best citizens of his town, 
and in Februar_\-, 1895, was elected A.ssessor. 
Religiously he is a true Christian gentleman and, 
with his wife, is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. 



(^ 



(^ 



"^m 




-^■^ 



^ 



EHAIINCEY N. MEEKS. Among the well 
known and influential citizens of Montour 
Falls, is the gentleman who.se name intro- 
duces these paragraphs, and who is the senior 
member of the firm of Meeks Brothers, proprie- 
tors of the Phoenix Roller Mills, and dealers in 
flour, feed, bran, etc. His a.s.sociate in business 
is Coral S. Meeks, a shrewd business man, who 
entered into partnership with him in 18S5, and 
together they purchased the mill property from 
E. A. Dunham &: Co. The plant is located in 
Havana, or what is now called Montour Falls. 

The year following their purchase the brothers 
sustained a severe loss in the burning of their 
mill, but with characteristic energy they made 
preparations to erect another building, and in the 
winter of 1887-88 it was completed and ready 
for occupancy. This mill is a great improvement 
on the old str\icturf. both as regards the building 



itself and the machinery used. It is fitted out 
with a full roller process, and all the latest mill- 
ing machinery, and they are enabled to turn out 
the very best work in large quantities. 

The father of our subject, Ira B. Meeks, a 
blacksmith by trade, followed this business for 
many years, but during his later life turned his 
attention to farming. He was born in Steuben 
County, this state, but for a great many years 
has been identified with the interests of this sec- 
tion, and now makes his home in this village, at 
the age of seventy-seven years. About 1849 he 
was married to Miss Jane Ann Smith, who de- 
parted this life in 186.^. To this union there 
were born three children, of whom the original 
of this sketch was the eldest. His brother 
Charles B. is in the emplo)- of the Shepherd & 
Sons Bridge Company at Havana: and Coral S. 
is the junior member of the firm of Meeks 
Brothers. 

Chauncey N. Meeks was born November 15, 
185 1, at which time his father was living on a 
farm. He was therefore reared to farm pur- 
suits, and before leaving the home place could 
perform any part of the work on the estate. His 
education was such as could be gained in the 
schools of the district, which he attended at 
such times as his services were not in demand on 
the farm. About fourteen years ago, however, 
he left home, and in order that he might fully 
learn the milling business, which he wished to 
follow, he entered the employ of E. A. Dunham 
& Co., of this place, and worked for them seven 
years. During that time he gained a full knowl- 
edge of the business, and, having an opportunity 
to purchase the plant, formed a partnership with 
his younger brother and bought the same. Their 
efforts have been attended with success .since that 
time, although the fire was looked ujion for a 
time as a great misfortune. Instead, it proved 
to be otherwise, for it was the means of their 
erecting a better building and supplying them- 
selves with more jierfect milling facilities. The 
brothers are both capable business men, and by 
their upright and honest methods are in command 
of a splendid trade, which they have built up 
bv ihcir own efforts. 



170 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In 1876 Mr. Meeks was united in marriage 
with Miss Marj- E. Thomas, a native of the town 
of Catharine, this county, and the daughter of 
Edwin and Harriet Thomas. To them have 
been granted four children, namely: Eddie B., 
Floyd Irvin, EvaJ. and Iva B. Mrs. Meeks is 
a lady of pleasing address, having those qualities 
of mind and heart which make her a good mother 
and kind friend. 

Mr. Meeks has alwavs affiliated with the Re- 



publican party in politics, and takes a decided 
interest in its successes. He is in no sense of 
the word an office-seeker, but at one time was 
persuaded to accept the position of Overseer of 
the Poor, filling the office acceptably for a period 
of three years. Fraternally he is an Odd Fellow 
of good standing, and meets with Havana Lodge 
No. 56. He is highly esteemed in this commu- 
nity, where his usefulness as a citizen has gained 
him manv warm friends. 





WILLIAM B. MICKLEY. 




PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



173 







WILLIAM B. MICKLEY. 





IILLIAM BURKHALTER MICKLEY has 
made his own way in life and is now en- 
joying a competency that is the result of 
his unaided efforts. He was for many years a 
mechanic and millwright, but is now living re- 
tired from any active business on his comfortable 
farm in the town of Seneca Falls. His place is a 
valuable one, and is pleasantly located within 
one mile of the thriving \'illage of Waterloo. 

Mr. Mickley was born in South Whitehall, Le- 
high County, Pa., June 30, 1813. His parents 
were Henry and Mary (BurkhalterJ Mickley, 
also natives of that county, where the father was 
proprietor of a hotel the mo.st of his life. In 
his native place our subject was educated in the 
German tongue, and was eighteen years of age 
when he began to do for him.self. At that time 
he was apprenticed to a workman to learn how to 
build bellows for furnaces, working for three 
years, and receiving his board and $50 in money. 
His father had died when he was sixteen, leav- 
ing him a few hundred dollars, which enabled 
him to buy his own clothes and other necessary 
articles. 

William B. was the fourth in order of birth in 
a family of ten children. After mastering his 
trade, he left his native place, and, coming to this 
county, located at once in Waterloo, where, in- 
stead of working at his trade, he obtained a posi- 
tion as millwright; thus all that his former occu- 

4 



pation did for him was to teach lum the use of 
certain tools. He aided in the building of the 
first brick gristmill in Waterloo, which was lo- 
cated on the south side of the river, but in 1892 
or 1893 this was destroyed by fire. 

When Mr. Mickley came to New York, he 
could not speak a word of English, but by apply- 
ing himself verj' closely, he soon learned to both 
speak and undenstand that language. After 
working a year in Waterloo, he went to Roches- 
ter, where he assisted in placing machinery in a 
large mill. When this job was completed he re- 
turned to Waterloo and erected the first distillery 
in this locality. After that he was hired by sev- 
eral other companies to erect plants of this kind 
for them, and later was engaged to operate a dis- 
tillery, receiving very fair wages. Although he 
came here a young man jioor in this world's 
goods, by the time he was ready to embark in 
business for himself he possessed $3,000. 

About this time our subject removed to Penn 
Yan, Yates County, and, having learned the busi- 
ness of a distiller, operated a plant there for him- 
self for a few years. Later, however, he returned 
to Waterloo and established himself in the same 
business, following it through the period of the 
Civil War, during which time he made a large 
sum of money. He had a partner who was inter- 
e.sted in the busine.ss at Penn Yan, and when 
ready to di.spo.se of their distillery there, they 



174 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



traded it for a farm in this county, located on the 
banks of Seneca Lake. This was later given in 
exchange for Mr. Mickley's present estate of 
ninety and one-half acres, he having bought out 
his partner. Soon after the close of the war, our 
subject abandoned the distilling business and 
purchased twenty-four acres of land west of Wa- 
terloo, which he later sold at a good price to a 
railroad company. In addition to his home place 
he also owns a tract of one hundred acres near 
McDougall, which is leased and cultivated on 
shares. 

When about thirty-three years of age, Mr. 
Mickley and Miss Sarah Alleman were united in 
marriage. The lady was born in the town of 
Seneca Falls, May 12, 1818, and by her union 
with our subject has become the mother of eight 
children, of whom we make the following men- 
tion: Susan Josephine is at home; Elsie Lee mar- 
ried Oliver P. Loveridge, and is living in Water- 
loo; Bayard Taylor died at Penn Yan, when in 
his fifth year; Alice Rosaline became the wife 
of J. E. Richardson, and is living in Waterloo; 
Georgiana is now Mrs. Isaac Westbrook, and re- 
sides in the town of Fayette; DeWitt is at home; 
Clara Belle, a finely educated young lady, com- 
pleted her education in the Cooper Institute, New 
York City, and for many years taught drawing in 
Missouri and Toledo, Ohio, but is now at home; 
and Heleue is a stenographer and typewriter for 
a firm in New York City. The mother of this 
family departed this life December 11, 1894, and 
her remains were laid to rest in Maple Grove 
Cemetery. 

In early life Mr. Mickley was a Whig, and cast 
his first Presidential vote for Martin Van Buren. 
On the organization of the Republican party, 
however, he joined its ranks, but of late years 
has not taken much interest in politics. Although 
advanced in years, Mr. Mickley is full of energy, 
and displays unusual judgment in the manage- 
ment of his affairs. It is interesting to know that 
the branch of the family to which our subject be- 
longs is of French origin. The grandfather was 
a Huguenot refugee, and during the insurrection 
against the Huguenots in France, left his native 
land, and, conung to America, made his home in 



Lehigh County, Pa. He visited in Toledo, Ohio, 
when it contained but few houses, and was on the 
site of Cleveland when there were no houses 
there. 



-^l 



(p-^^^v^-2 

'^^^^^f^^ 



-<o. 



r\ HALSEY HAWES, Clerk of Schuyler 
Ly County, was born in the town of Hector, 
P this county, November 28, 1S57, being the 
son of Joshua and Elizabeth (Halsey) Hawes. 
He represents the third generation of the family 
that has resided in this locality, his grandfather, 
Jonas Hawes, having removed hither in an early 
day and made settlement in the town of Hector, 
where he resided for a number of years, or until 
his death. 

The father of our subject was born in Schuyler 
County, this state, on his father's farm in Hec- 
tor. He became a member of the finn of Squires, 
Wilcox & Co., who were engaged in merchan- 
dising at North Hector. In 1875 he went to 
Michigan on a business trip, and died there. His 
wife, who still survives him, is a resident of Wat- 
kins. While he never became very wealthy, yet 
he was well-to-do, having through his excellent 
management and industry accumulated a compe- 
tency, which enabled him to surround his family 
with every comfort and give his only child, our 
subject, an excellent education. 

In the town of Hector, upon the old homestead 
of his grandfather, Halsey passed the days of 
childhood and youth. After spending some years 
in the public schools he entered Cook's Academy, 
where his education was completed. On leaving 
school he came to Watkins and secured a position 
as clerk for Charles S. Frost, with whom he re- 
mained for five years. In 1883 he entered the 
employ of Durland, Smith & Co., dealers in hard- 
ware, with whom he remained in the capacity of 
bookkeeper until January i, 1894. In 1893 he was 
elected to the office of County Clerk, the duties of I 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



175 



which he assumed January i, 1S94, for a term of 
three years. As an official, he is prompt, ener- 
getic, faithful and efficient, and the manner in 
which he is discharging the duties of his office is 
winning him the approbation of the people of the 
count}-. He is a stanch Republican, and never 
loses an opportunity to advance the interests of his 
party. 

On New Year's Day of 1880 Mr. Hawes was 
united in marriage with Miss Jennie Macrury, 
daughter of John Macrury, a prosperous farmer 
of Schuyler County. They are the parents of 
three children, namel_v: Edna E., Chester A. and 
Margaret I,- Socially Mr. Hawes is connected 
with Jefferson Lodge No. 332, F. & A. M.; Wat- 
kins Chapter No. 182, R. A. M.; and St. Omar's 
Commandery No. 19, K. T., of Elmira. With 
his wife he holds membership in St. James' Epis- 
copal Church, in which he is a Vestryman. He 
is a man who possesses in a marked degree the 
confidence and respect of the people of the village 
and count)', for his course in life has ever been 
upright and honorable. 



...^fe... 



-t-"^- 



->-»-•»- 



-♦"fr—^ 



r^ETER COOPER. So rapidly has this country 
y^ developed, and to such an extent has it be- 
J5 come the home of the descendants of all na- 
tions of the earth, that those who can trace their 
ancestrj' back to the old Colonial time, when New 
York and Peinisylvania were yet the borderland 
between European civilization and native barbar- 
ity, are rarely met, and when one is found his bi- 
ography is of more than usual interest. Mr. 
Cooper came from Revolutionary and fighting 
stock. His grandfather served in the .seven- 
years conflict that made the United States a na- 
tion, while his father took part as a volunteer in 
the second war with England, in 18 12, and re- 
ceived his death wound at Sacket'.'- Harbor, N. Y. , 
in 1813. 

The subject of this sketch, a retired farmer of 



Catharine, was born at Enfield, Tompkins Coun- 
ty, N. Y., May 22, 1812, a son of Peter and 
Polly (Doolittle) Cooper. His father was a na- 
tive of New Jensey, while his mother was from 
Connecticut. Peter was the youngest member ill 
a family of four, and is the only survivor. When 
two years of age he was taken into the family of 
his grandfather, John Cooper, at the old home- 
stead, where he continued to live until he was ten 
years of age. He has a very vivid recollection 
of those early days and of the reminiscences of 
the War of the Revolution, which he has often 
heard from his grandfather's lips. To him the 
story of forced marches over hard, frozen roads, 
of shoeless soldiers, whose bloody footprints at- 
tested their devotion to the cause of liberty and 
right, had a significance not appreciated by those 
who only read the story from printed pages. The 
grandfather was at \'alley Forge and knew well 
the great leader whose name has passed into his- 
tory as the "father of his countr}'." 

When ten years of age our subject went to live 
with Solomon Booth, who had a farm in Chemung 
Count)', but which is now included in Schuyler 
County. There he remained two years. At the 
age of fifteen he became an apprentice under 
William Jaycocks, a tanner in Tompkins County, 
where he remained for six years, or until he was 
twenty-one years of age. His brother John 
was also an apprentice at the same place. Leav- 
ing the service of Mr. Jaycocks, our subject went 
to the village of Catharine and hired himself to 
Edward Lyon, who owned a tannery at that place, 
and remained with him for one year. At the end 
of that time he retired from the tanning business, 
but two years later purchased the tannery from 
Mr. Lyon and associated his brother John with 
him. They continued the business at Catharine 
for seven or eight years, when our subject re- 
tired from the business, .selling his interest to his 
brother, and took up his home on a farm. Mr. 
Cooper owns one hundred and thirty acre."5 of 
choice farming land, and being a thorough busi- 
ness man, farming with him was of course a 
success. 

In politics our subject is a straight Democrat, 
having ca.st his first vote for Andrew Jackson, 



176 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and has constantly maintained Democratic prin- 
ciples ever since. Mr. Cooper has been married 
three times. His first wife, Susan dishing, died 
a few years after their marriage, leaving no 
children. By his marriage with Sarah Ostor- 
haut, five children were born. Walter, the eldest, 
is now a resident of Elniira, N. Y. Susan is the 
wife of Burrett Pierce, a farmer near Catharine. 
Jennette is single and still lives at home. Oscar 
at his death left three children. A'elmot, the 
youngest member of the famil}-, died leaving one 
child. 

Mr. Cooper's third union was with Margaret 
Ostorhaut, a sister of his second wife. Together 
they are treading the decline of life's pathway, 
enjoying the fruits of the labor of former da3's. 
Mr. Cooper is a worthy example of what persever- 
ance and economy will accomplish. He began 
with nothing but his courage and abilitj'to work, 
and is now rounding out his life in comfort, with 
plenty of this world's goods to supply all his 
earthly wants and leave a heritage for his pos- 
terity. Mr. Cooper is a member of the Episcopal 
Church, and during these years of toil has al.so 
laid up everlasting treasures. 




HON. FRED L. MANNING, attorney-at-law 
at Waterloo, is the name of a man who has 
won more than a local reputation in the last 
half-century. He has been a capable lawyer, was 
a brave and faithful soldier, and has long been in 
the public eye. He was born in the town of 
Ovvego, Tioga County, November 24, 1837, the 
son of Chester and Jerusha (Bartlett) Manning. 
His father was a native of Connecticut, and his 
mother of Massachusetts, and in his veins is flow- 
ing some of the best blood of the old Colonial 
aristocracy. The grandfather, Lewis Manning, 
was a son of Joshua Manning, and the latter was 



a son of Frederick Manning, who came from 
England to settle in Connecticut in 1600. The 
grandfather of our .subject served in the War of 
18 1 2, and his father was a stout and sturdy sol- 
dier of the Revolution. What more natural then, 
wdien the Civil War of 1861 broke out, that the 
loyal blood of the Mannings should drive the 
j'oung man Fred to take up arms for the preser- 
vation of that Republic that his great-grandfathers 
had fought to establi.sh and defend ? 

The father of our subject was a farmer by oc- 
cupation, and died in 1864, while his soldier boy 
w'as still at the front. His wife is still living, 
in her seventy-nintli year, and is in the full pos- 
session of all her faculties. She became the 
mother of four children, three boys and one girl. 
Her mother was in maidenhood a Miss Stevens, 
though little is known of her ancestry. 

Col. Fred Manning, for such is the title by 
which he is best known, is one of the notable 
men of Waterloo, and is a conspicuous illustra- 
tion of the po.ssibilities of American democrac)-. 
He was educated in the public school of the town 
of Owego and the Ithaca Academy, studied law 
under the instruction of Addison T. Knox, of 
Waterloo, and was admitted to the Bar of the 
state in 1861. Borne along by the strong tide 
of patriotic devotion that overswept the whole 
land in that memorable year, he put aside his 
professional ambition and enlisted in the United 
States service, entering as First Lieutenant of 
Company H, One Hundred and Forty-eighth 
New York A'olunteers. On the battlefield he 
was cool, quick and courageous; and, being well 
educated and ready for anything, he w-as rapidly 
pushed forward in official po.sition. Nor did 
those who knew him best mar\^el at his promo- 
tion. February i, 1863, he was appointed Ad- 
jutant of the regiment. The ne.xt year, in rapid 
succession, he was made Captain, Major and 
Lieutenant-Colonel, and received a commission as 
Brevet-Colonel for conspicuous gallantrj- in the 
service. He was detailed by .special order No. 
162 as a member of General Hooker's staff; by 
special order No. 257 was assigned to the staff 
of General Butler: by special order No. 171 was 
made Provost- Marshal of the Army of the James; 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



177 



and when the Union armies entered Richmond 
he was appointed Provost-Marshal of the late 
capital of the confederacy. 

Among the fierce and memorable engagements 
in which our subject participated may be men- 
tioned Chancellorsville, Mine Run, Gettysburg, 
Proctor's Creek, and many of the sanguinary 
struggles around Petersburg. His administrative 
ability was fully tested in the government of the 
turbulent rebel city of Richmond, which he 
quickly brought to a sound, peaceable basis. At 
the close of this memorable struggle he retired 
from the service, and returned to Waterloo, where 
his admiring fellow-townsmen, to express their 
deep admiration of his honorable career, nomi- 
nated and triumphantly elected him as District 
Attorney in 1865. In 1872 he was appointed 
Collector of Internal Revenue for this district, 
which position he held for two years. Then a 
change of system combined his district with 
other territory, so that he was thrown out of 
office. Further than this. Colonel Manning has 
resisted temptation to become a candidate for high 
office, though once or twice he has taken a .seat 
in the House of Representatives at the command 
of his party. 

In professional life the Colonel has achieved 
marked success. As an advocate he is brilliant 
and efifective. He has a rare gift of language, 
his diction is graceful, and his perfect self-poise 
on the platform gives him great power over his 
audience. A keen sense of justice and rigid in- 
tegrity have made his natural gifts of thought 
and speech effective agencies for the upbuild- 
ing of right in the community. A consistent 
and loyal Republican, he has refused to con- 
sent to fraudulent dealing anywhere in the party, 
and has always been found on the side of hon- 
esty and political cleanness. His gallant and 
unswerving opposition to fraud and corruption, 
not only upon the political hustings, but also in 
the halls of justice, has placed new laurels upon 
his brow. 

In November, 1874, at Albany, Colonel Man- 
ning was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth 
Van Benthuysen, a member of a family distin- 
guished in the annals of New York. With rare 



social characteristics, their home soon became a 
social center, and in it were cemented many of 
those warm friendships that have been so marked 
a feature in the career of this honored and notable 
man and citizen of Seneca County. 






[""RANK G. SEAMAN, M. D., is one of the 
JM leading physicians and surgeons of Seneca 
I * Falls, where he has been in practice since 
1 88 1. He is a native of Herkimer County, N. Y., 
born in Fairfield September 5, i860, and is a son 
of James Leander and Elizabeth (Gay) Seaman, 
both of whom were natives of Herkimer Countj', 
the former born in October, 1819. He was a 
maiuifacturer and merchant during his entire life, 
and died in Fairfield in 1880. The mother was 
a daughter of Dean Gay. The grandfather of 
our subject, James Seaman, was an early settler 
of Herkimer County, and was of German descent. 

The Doctor is the youngest in a family of three 
children, of whom Mrs. Ella J. Ellwood resides 
in Seneca Falls, and Mrs. Marion E. Smith in 
Geneva, N. Y. During his boyhood our subject 
attended the public schools of his native village, 
and later was a student in Fairfield Seminary, 
where he finished his literary course. On leaving 
school he read medicine with Dr. John Swin- 
burne, of Albany, N. Y., and later entered Al- 
bany Medical College, from which he was grad- 
uated in March, 1881. 

On receiving his degree Dr. Seaman came to 
Seneca Falls and at once entered upon the practice 
of his profession. Like all other young physi- 
cians, his success did not come at a bound, but 
his practice gradually increased as his skill as a 
physician became known, and to-day he has one 
of the largest practices in the city. He gives his 
undivided time and attention to his profession, 
and always keeps abreast of the times. The la- 



178 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



test discoveries in medicine and surgery he does 
not hesitate to adopt, if in accordance with reason 
and common sense. His library is filled with the 
latest medical works of the various schools, to- 
gether with such standard works as have proved 
useful. He is a member of the vSeneca County 
Medical Society, of the New York State Medical 
Association, and also of the American Medical 
Association. His suite of rooms is fitted up in a 
neat and attractive manner, and patients always 
receive the best care and kindest of treatment. 
In 1 89 1 the Doctor was elected Coroner of the 
county and served until 1894. He is well read 
on all the current topics of the day, and knows 
how to express himself in a forcible maimer, and 
these facts, added to his agreeable manner, make 
him a welcome guest. Politically he is a Demo- 
crat. 



^s 



.(g'J 






(TjETH J. GENUNG, who is one of the oldest 
/\ business men of Waterloo, was born on a 
Q) farm in the town of Milo, Yates Count}-, 
N. Y. , September 22, 1826. His father, Azariah, 
a son of Cornelius Genung, was born in 1788, 
and in early life followed the trade of a wagon- 
maker, though later in life he mainly engaged in 
farm pursuits. His death occurred in 1888, when 
he had rounded out a full century of years. His 
wife, who bore the maiden name of Olive Walker, 
was born in Otsego County, and died in Yates 
County, in 1872, at the age of eighty-one. 

The subject of this sketch was, in order of 
birth, the .sixth among nine children, there being 
eight sons and one daughter, named as follows: 
Cornelius, who died at the age of twenty-one; 
Fannie, who married James Fake, and is now de- 
ceased; Elmer, a re.sident of Steuben County, this 
state; Charles F., who lives in the West; DeWitt 
C, deceased; Seth J.; Dwight and Delos (twins), 
the latter deceased; and Azariah O., of Steuben 



County. Our subject attended the district schools 
of Yates and Steuben Counties, remaining with 
his parents until he was sixteen years of age. 
He then went to Penn Yan, where he learned 
the cabinet-maker's trade under E. G. Hopkins, 
a prominent business man of that place. 

On completing his trade, Mr. Genung came to 
Waterloo, and for some time worked at his trade, 
being in the employ of various parties. In 1S57, 
having saved a sufficient amount to permit him 
to embark in business for himself, he opened an 
undertaking and furniture establishment, and 
from that time until 1867 he had as partner 
Stephen Stillwell, the firm title being Stilhvell & 
Genung. From 1869 to 187 1 the firm name was 
Genung & Lofler, and from the latter year until 
1874 the title was Genung & Nugent. Between 
the years 1857 and 1887 he officiated as funeral 
director at the burial of four thousand persons, 
and from September i of the latter year until 
January, 1895, he prepared one thousand persons 
for burial. In 1887 he admitted his son, Charles 
A., into partnership, the firm name becoming 
Seth J. Genung & Son. He is one of the oldest 
business men of this part of the state, and there 
is doubtless no undertaker in this section of the 
country who has had a longer or more \-aried ex- 
perience than he. 

In 1847 Miss Sarah A. Williams became the wife 
of Mr. Genung, and thirty years later, in 1877, 
she passed away, leaving four children. They are 
Eleanor A., wife of Edward Nugent; Carrie A., 
who married Charles V. Webster, a hardware 
merchant of Waterloo; Charles A,, who is his 
father's partner in bu.sine.ss; and Mary F., wife 
of William F. Pelton, a resident of Brooklyn. 
In vSeptember, 1S80, Mr. Genung was a .second 
time married, his wife being Mrs. Anna M. vSmith, 
of this city. His son, Charles A., was united in 
marriage, in September, 1884, with Miss Alice 
Smith, and they have two children: Nannie 
Curtiss, born December 10, 1887; and Seth Nu- 
gent, August 25, 1892. 

In 1852 Mr. Genung was made a Mason, be- 
coming a member of Seneca Lodge No. 113, F. 
& A. M. In 1864 he united with Salemtown 
Chapter, R. A. M., at Seneca Falls, and in 1869 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



179 



he joined Comtnandery No. 29, K. T. Politically, 
while not active in public matters, he gives his 
adherence to the principles of the Democratic 
party, and is well informed concerning those is- 
sues which w'ill affect the prosperity of the coun- 
try. His life has been a very busy one, and 
though now pa.st the prime of life, he still main- 
tains a keen and sagacious interest in business 
matters, and retains in a large measure the activ- 
itv of earlier vears. 




;<.— 



EHARLES S. SANDERSON is the leading 
undertaker and funeral director of Seneca 
Falls. He is a native of the village, born 
September 23, 1856, and is a .son ot James and 
Charlotte (McGraw) Sanderson, both of whom 
are yet living. The former, who was born in 
New York in 1821, was eight years old when he 
came with his father to Seneca Falls, where he 
has since continued to reside. The mother is a 
native of McGrawville, Cortland County. The 
grandfather of our subject, also named James 
Sanderson, died at Seneca Falls manj' years ago. 
Our .subject grew to manhood in his native 
village and attended the public schools until six- 
teen years of age, when he went to White Water, 
Wis., and there attended the state normal school. 
After remaining in White Water as a student and 
teacher for six years, he returned to Seneca Falls, 
where, after teaching in the public .schools for three 
years, he went to Denver, Colo. , where he .spent 
one year, in the mean time looking over the 
country with a view to settlement. Returning to 
New York, however, he was superintendent of a 
school at Cortland for two years, after which he 
again returned to Seneca Falls, and in 1885, '^ 
partnership with his brother, William H. San- 
derson, under the firm name of Sanderson Broth- 
ers, he engaged in the furniture and undertaking 



busine.ss. This firm continued until 1890, when, 
in the great fire that destroyed so many business 
houses in Seneca Falls, thej^ were biirned out, 
losing heavily. After the fire William H. took 
charge of the furniture business and our subject 
the undertaking department. He now has four 
hearses and is well prepared to carry on the busi- 
ness in all its branches. 

In 1883 Mr. Sander.son was united in marriage 
with Miss Isabel Bowen, of Seneca Falls, and a 
daughter of Augustus Bowen. Two .sons have 
been born to them. Fraternally Mr. Sanderson 
is identified w-ith Pocahontas Lodge No. 211, 
F. & A. M. Religiously he is a member of the 
Presbyterian Church, and has been the leader of 
the choir of the church for the past ten years. In 
educational matters he has always been interested, 
and for some j-ears has served as a member of the 
Board of Education of the village. He is also a 
Trustee of the village. Chairman of the fire de- 
partment, and is President of the Cayuga & 
Seneca County Mercantile Association. In what- 
eveir position he has been called upon to fill he 
has discharged his duties with faithfulness and 
ability. Politically he is a Republican. 




'2IE0RGE M. COMPSON is the efficient Sec- 

□ retarj- and Treasurer of the Seneca Falls 
Bank, which position he has held since 1891. 
He is a native of Seneca County, and was born 
in the town of Tyre in 1849. His grandfather, 
Edward Compson, was among the earliest settlers 
of Seneca Falls, where he was engaged in farm- 
ing. His death occurred many years ago. 

Stephen Compson, the father of our subject, was 
born in 18 19, in Seneca Falls, to which place the 
family moved. He grew to manhood in his native 
county, and married Hannah Munson, a native of 
New Jersey, and daughter of Stephen Munson, 
also a native of that state. When but a child her 



i8o 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



parents removed to Seneca County and located in 
the town of T)Te, where her father established 
a hat manufactory and a mill, besides being 
identified with other lines of work. Stephen 
Compson was a man of considerable note, and 
served one term as Sheriff of the county, and also 
as Supervisor of the town of Tyre. He died on 
his farm in the latter town, July i6, 1895. Of 
the children of the parental family, three grew to 
maturity: Emma, who is now deceased; Angus 
F., who is engaged in merchandising in New 
York City; and our subject. 

George M. Compson spent the first seven years 
of his life on the farm, but when his father was 
elected Sheriff of the county the family removed 
to Waterloo, where they remained some years. 
At that place young George received his educa- 
tion in the public schools, and on completing the 
course was employed in the freight department of 
the Oswego & Syracuse Railroad. After remain- 
ing in the employ of that company several years, 
he worked for the New York Central Railroad 
for eight years at Shortsville, discharging the 



duties of his position in a faithful and eflficient 
manner. He then accepted the position of book- 
keeper for Westcott Brothers, manufacturers at 
Seneca Falls. In 1891 he was elected Secretary- 
and Treasurer of the Seneca Falls Savings Bank, 
which position he holds at the present time. 
This bank is one of the leading institutions of 
Seneca County and does a strictly savings-bank 
business. 

In 1872 Mr. Compson married Miss Sarah 
Lay, of the town of Tyre, and to them have been 
born one .son and one daughter. The familj- re- 
side in a beautiful home in Seneca Falls, and are 
among its most highly respected citizens. While 
Mr. Compson gives the greater part of his time 
to the management of the savings bank, he is 
also connected with other industries of the place, 
and has a heart for its best interests, willing at 
all times to give of his time and means to the 
building up of the place. He is identified with 
the Masonic fraternity ^nd is a member of the 
Episcopal Church. In all religious and benevo- 
lent work he and his wife are sincerelv interested. 





REV. P K SMITH 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



183 




^^@^i^^r^_ 



REV. PULASKI E. SMITH 



^^y^^^K^ 




REV. PULASKI E. SMITH, one of the old 
and esteemed citizens of Seneca Countj', was 
born in the town of T)Te, near his present 
place of residence, August 8, 1829. He is the 
son of Jason and Sarah ( W'ellsj Smith, the 
former of whom was born in Bristol, Addison 
Countj-, Vt., October 7, 1795. He lived a long 
and useful life, passing away August 21, 1883. 
Mrs. Sarah Smith was a native of New Hamp- 
shire, whence she came to this state with her 
parents, as did also her husband. The Wells 
family lived in Seneca County for a time, after 
which they moved to the western part of the 
state, where Jason and Sarah were married. 

The parents of our subject made their home on 
the farm which the grandfather, Asa vSmith, had 
purchased from Caleb Woodworth in 1802. The 
grandparents reared their sons to farm life, and 
Jason always followed agriculture. The latter 
was at one time a strong Democrat, voting for 
James K. Polk in 1844, but that year he changed 
his political views, and until 1856 was a Free- 
Soiler. In the latter year he was sent as a dele- 
gate to the convention which met at Syracuse, 
where the Whigs and Free-Soilers united to form 
the Republican party. He was prominently be- 
fore the public in various official positions, and 
from the time he was twenty-one years old initil his 
death frequently held the position of Justice of 
the Peace. He was also Supervisor for many 
years, and in the county he was Ju.stice of Sessions. 



To him was given the honor of naming the town 
of Tyre. He was a thorough Christian gentle- 
man, and from the age of thirty years was con- 
nected with the Baptist Church, ni which he was 
Trustee for many years. During the War of 
18 1 2 he served as a volunteer for six months, 
enlisting in 18 14. He fought in the battle of Ft. 
Erie, Lundy's Lane, Chippewa and other well 
known engagements, and after peace was estab- 
lished obtained a .soldier's land-warrant, locating 
in Michigan until he could dispose of his prop- 
erty. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on 
his father's farm, attending school winters and 
aiding in the farm work during the summer 
months. After reaching his fifteenth year he de- 
termined to qualify himself for a teacher, and, 
applying himself very closely to his studies, three 
years later was placed in charge of a school. He 
taught continuously until twenty-two \-eafs old, 
when he entered the academy at Seneca Falls, at- 
tending during the summer months for three 
years, and teaching the rest of the year. He thus 
prepared himself for college, and in the fall of 
1854 entered Roche.ster University, completing 
the course and graduating with the Class of '59. 

Mr. Smith was then called upon to take charge 
of the Pulaski Academy in Oswego County, and 
for three years held the po.sition of Principal. He 
had been converted when eighteen years of age 
and united with the Baptist Church of Magee 



i84 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Corners, in this county. While Principal of the 
Pulaski Academy he was licensed by this church 
to preach and thus he began his career as a minis- 
ter of the Gospel. After supplying a church at 
Sandy Creek, Oswego County, for a year, he was 
called to accept the pastorate of the church at 
Magee Corners. 

Mr. Smith was married August 2, 1861, while 
at Pulaski, to Miss Frances A. Gould, who was 
born at Sterling, Cayuga County, N. Y. She 
was a finely educated lady and was at that time 
preceptress of Macedon Academj'. He had be- 
come acquainted with this ladj- while teaching in 
the Red Creek Academj-, where she was a pupil. 
Mrs. Smith was the daughter of David and Eve- 
line (Austin) Gould, the former of whom was a 
prominent resident of Cayuga County, represent- 
ing his district in the Assembly in 1844. 

When our subject entered upon his duties as 
pastor of the church at Magee Corners, he located 
upon his farm of fifty acres, which he had pur- 
chased from his father. He was ordained in 1864, 
and has been pastor of that congregration con- 
tinuousl}- since. Other congregations have urged 
him to preach to them, and although thej' offered 
a large increase in salar\-, he always refused to 
leave, one reason being that he was desirous of 
rearing his children on a farm. He became in- 
terested with a brother in the purchase of more 
land, but on the failure of the latter in business, 
he was left to pay off the debt, and also to take 
his brother's .share of the property. His posses- 
sions now aggregate one hundred and seventh- 
acres, all of which is finely improved and forms 
one of the best farms in the county. 

The eldest child of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Fran- 
ces, died v.lien three years of age. Mary Alice, 
who was born in the town of Tyre, September 4, 
1869, was graduated from the high .school at 
Seneca Falls in 1887, ^"^ the following year com- 
pleted her studies at Cook Academy in Schuyler 
County, this state. She then entered Vassar Col- 
lege, and finished with the Cla.ss of '92. After- 
ward .she took a teacher's course at the normal 
college of Albany, and is now teaching in the 
English department in Cook Academ)'. Edward 
Payson Smith, who was born in the town of 



Tyre, August 30, 1873, was graduated from the 
high school at Seneca Falls in 1890, and from 
Cook Academy- the following year. Later he be- 
came a student in the University of Rochester, 
and completed his studies in that in.stitution in 
1895. ^^"hile in the latter city he was for a time 
reporter on the Democrat and Chronicle. He is 
now Assistant Principal of the High School in 
Mexico, Oswego Count\'. Both children became 
identified with the church in their youth. In 
politics Rev. Mr. Smith is a Republican. 

The great-grandfather of our subject, Joshua 
Smith, died in Sandisfield, Mass., July 10, 1771. 
His wife, who previous to her marriage was Marj- 
Snow, was descended in a direct line from passen- 
gers of the "Mayflower." Both of the great- 
grandparents were of English descent, and came 
from the Puritan stock of New England. Their 
son, Asa Smith, ser\'ed three years in the Revolu- 
tionary War. At the close of that conflict, and 
while a single man, he emigrated to Vermont, 
then known as the New Hampshire Grants. The 
first purchase of land which he made was on 
Grand Isle, on what was called Southboro, in Rut- 
land County, Vt., and his deed, which bore the 
date of November 14, 1783, was executed by 
Samuel Allen, brother of Ethan Allen, of Revolu- 
tionar)' fame. 

Our .subject's grandmother, Margaret Traver, 
was of German origin, and was born in Albanj- 
County, N. Y., September 9, 1765. Her father, 
Nicholas Traver, was boru in Germany. Asa 
Smith and Margaret Traver were married Febru- 
ary 13, 1788, in the village of Vergennes, Vt., 
theirs being the first marriage that was .solem- 
nized in that place. The grandfather worked as 
a carpenter in the foundry of the village, but 
soon after his marriage sold out his possessions 
on Grand Isle and purchased twentj- acres within 
three-fourths of a mile of the above village, where 
he made his home until March, 1791, when he 
moved to Bristol Hollow, in which vicinity he 
had purchased a farm. 

In 1802 Grandfather Smith sold his farm in the 
Hollow, and with a yoke of oxen and cart set out 
alone for the untried wilderness of the western 
part of New- York. After arriving there he 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



185 



cleared three acres, sowed it in wheat, built a log 
house, and then returned to Vermont for liis fam- 
ily. In the spring of 1803 the little baud started 
for their new home in western New York, in 
what is now the town of Tyre, Seneca County. 
After a tedious journey of more than a month, 
and under many difficulties, they reached their 
destination and thought their troubles were over. 
But in this they were mi.staken, for they found 
themselves in an almost unbroken wilderness, 
filled with fierce savages and prowling beasts of 
prey. 

Our subject's father, Jason .Smith, was married 
to Sarah Wells, October 21, 1824. Under Jack- 
son's administration he was appointed Postmaster 
of Tyre, which position he held for sixteen years. 
He was again appointed to fill this office under 
Grant's administration, and was the incumbent 
of the same for about one term, from Jaiuiary, 
1874, to April, 1877, when he resigned. Novem- 
ber 27, 1829, his first wife died, and July i, 
1834, he was married to Miss Amanda Lemmon, 
of Varick. In 1869 Jason Smith made a trip to 
Europe, spending about three months abroad. 
During his life he spent a great deal of time in 
writing for his own amusement, mainly personal 
reminiscences. He also showed quite a poetical 
tendency, and composed the verses written on the 
death of Ezekiel Crane, and execution of Indian 
John, which we give below: 

POETRY ON THE DE-A.TH OF 

EZEKIEL CRANE, AND EXECUTION OF INDIAN 
JOHN. 



COMPOSED BV JASON SMITH, 

A7id siDig by him at a concourse of young persons 
convened at a hozise near the spot where the tragic 
scene zcas enacted, June, 18 18. 



PART I. 



Sweet poetry, my bosom fire, 
My mental and my muse inspire; 
Wisdom, assist and be my snide — 
Direct my thoughts, stand by my sicte, 
Now, while I act the poet's part. 
In melting strains to win the heart. 
Candor and truth shall grace my verse; 
What I have seen I will rehearse; 
Though young and in my tender years- 
From others learned, the truth appears. 



The town of Junius (now Tyre) did appear 

Rut recently a forest drear - 

A white man's cot but here and there — 

Hither the red men did repair. 

Tho.se fertile fields which now expand. 

Were then a tract of forest land; 

The nimble deer did range them o'er, 

And savage footsteps i)rint each shore; 

The shaggy bear did oft appear. 

The wolf's dire bowlings met the ear. 

When winter spread her mantle white 

To crown the hunter's dear delight. 

An Indian and a white man came — 

George Phadoc was the white man's name- 

Conibined to hunt, a station look 

Near to a mill-stream, called Black Brook; 

A cabin built upon the shore — 

In quest of game the wilds explore; 

But mark the sequel, hear me tell 

The horrid deed which soon befel. 

The Indian thus his thoughts expressed: 

"A great big bunch came in my breast. 

And rising, got into my head — 

Then me would kill all white men dead." 

His comrade first provoked his hate. 

And therefore must expect his fate . 

Vindictive wrath his bosom swells, 

Rouse all his hell — for in him hell 

A sullen savage silence reigns — 

A thirst for blood thrills in his veins. 

In 1803, we hear— 
December 12 the day and year— 
His ire like thimder-clap must burst 
Upon the one who should come first. 
His comrade, coming to the door 
With venison killed the day before. 
Now put in force his hellish plot. 
And through the door haphazard shot; 
The whistling ball the venison hit. 
And grazed his coat, near his arm-pit. 

Now seized with a dreadful fright. 
And all his safety was in flight — 
The venison from his shoulder threw — 
His rifle seized — away he flew; 
From this dread monster let me fly — 
Why .should a valiant huntsman die ? 
And dashing through the icy brook — 
Nor did he take one backward look — 
O'er hills and dales and forest ground. 
Until my father's house he found. 

A frightful figure now presents — 
B)- fear almost bereft of .sense— 
The color from his visage fled, 
Alternate flushed with liues of red, 
And for a while did .silent stand. 
With rifle in his dextrous hand; 
Reason resumes a settled state — 
The .story and the f.acls relate; 
A station took, and there he staid. 
Fearing the Indian's ambuscade. 



PART II. 
Ye curious-minded, now give ear. 
The snb.stance you shall quickly hear; 
Two neighbors went to view some land — 
Fearing no harm from .savage hand. 



1 86 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



The victim to the cabin came — 
Our friend — Ezekiel Crane by name; 
The first salute— an awful sound, 
Our friend received a mortal wound; 
The fatal lead his vitals pierced — 
Now, savajje, thou hast done thv worst. 



The savage firing through the door, 

In the same way he did before — 

Yet more effectual was the shot, 

Directed closer to the spot. 

The ball his side did penetrate; 

Ye man, thou must submit to fate! - 

A soldier's fortitude sustained, 

Though streaming blood each artery drained; 

He stood the shock, and ne'er did fall, 

And in his shoulder lodged the ball. 

Now from the door his steps did bend. 

And was assisted by his friend, 

'Till strength relapsed, and fainting grew- 

His friend for help away he flew; 

Fear braced his nerves and gave him .strength 

To run a half a mile in length, 

.\nd stemming through the rapid brook, 

He took the course tliat Phadoc took; 

The route, by chance, direct did trace, 

And soon arrived at the same place. 

A bleeding statue, crimsoned o'er. 

Presents himself now at the door. 

With faltering voice — " Fear not, " he said, 

.\nd soon was laid upon the bed. 

The alarm being spread, his frien<ls tlien come, 

And soon conveyed him to his home. 

When coming there, he did reply, 

"Carry me in here. I must die!" 

Repeating then these words, he said, 

"O, lay me down; here's my death-bed." 

A surgeon's aid was needful thought 

Two surgeons now were quickly brought. 

Who, by examination, found 

He had received his mortal wound. 

The surgeons ply their skill in vain 

Cannot alleviate his pain; 

His time is come, and he nnist go, 

Though by a cruel savage foe; 

Yet not a word by him was spoke. 

Like envy ft)r the dreadful stroke. 

Five days he lived in pain severe 
His dissolution now draws near; 
The glooms of death his visage .spread, 
And now he mingles with the dead. 
A widow and five children left. 
Of husband and father bereft; 
Ye tendei offspring, drop a tear - 
Lifeless and cold your father dear. 
Now brought to an untimely death. 
By the tawny son of the wilderness. 

The funeral rites and duties pay. 
The body to the grave convey, 
To waste and moulder in the dust, 
From which we all were fonned at first. 
Relentless death, who ruins all; 
The fruits of sin, of Adam's fall, 



The spirit at this day doth reign 
Which once prevailed with ancient Cain; 
And arms one man against another, 
Like wicked Cain, who slew his brother. 



PART in. 

One channel I have traced through — 
Back to the point my course renew; 
You soon shall hear the nmrd'rer's fate. 
The facts attending now relate: 
The tidings, aggravated, spread, — 
Each timid heart is filled with dread. 
The women shrink, the children crj' — 
Some of them hide, while others fl}-; 
With fear each heart doth palpitate — 
Fear fills each breast, for fear is great. 

The hardy peasantry do throng 
Quick to avenge their neighbor's wrong; 
Like true Columbians read}- press 
To bear down vice and seek redress. 
At Phadoc's place of late retreat 
The)- rendezvous, and thronging meet; 
Each art is tried, and plans are laid, 
The hostile camp for to invade; 
Conducted well and au.spicious 
.■\n enterprise so hazardous. 

Ye of the Senecas, all hail! 

Suppress the vice which doth prevail; 

In friendship true and love sincere, 

The white men and their laws revere. 

Three Indians, friendly to our cause. 

In vindication of our laws — 

Though closely bound by nature's ties 

To this vile wretch, it don't suffice: 

Kindly they do assistance lend, 

.\nd style themselves the white man's friend. 

Beneath the gloom of twilight shade, 
An onset now with speed is made; 
The assassin in his cell surround, 
Which late had spread such terror round. 
Now at his door the whiles defy — 
"More shoot, more .shoot," is all his cry- 
The war-whoop raise, the war-song sing, 
Which made those echoing valleys ring; 
The assailants brave, though to their heart 
The life-blood thrills with sudden start. 

His tawny brethren loudly sung. 
In Indian style and Indian tongue. 
That he might think no white men near. 
And thus divert him of his fear. 
Up to the cabin door they walked, 
And to the assa.ssin friendly talked: 
•'A league with you we make," saj' they 
"All white men we will (piickly slay." 
Deceive him thus, and thus beguile, 
'Til quite deluded by their wile. 

By chance or fraud secure his arms — 
Then to the white men gave the alarm; 
Just at the word they all rushed in — 
A furious fray doth now begin 
Most furious grew, when brought to see 
He was betrayed by treachery. 



I 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



i87 



Just like a demon incarnate, 
Destniction, death and sudden fate; 
They seize and bare him to the ground. 
And fast with thongs his hands are bound. 

Now well secured, the Indian said: 
"You ugl)' man, you must be dead. 
You much bad Indian, we do hear 
You ran away when \-ou came here. 
Much long ago you kill your squaw — 
Your hand be like a panther's paw; 
Nay, badder still are you than they 
They only catch and kill their prey; 
But \-ou kill Indian— white men, too- 
We glad the white men have got you." 

A prisoner bound, he's borne away: 
Stubborn, he swears to disobey; 
Nefarious hate doth fill his breast, 
As of the Ionian god possessed. 
All entering in at the same door. 
The scared, the hurt, the murderer 
His countenance, so gruff and wild, 
Strikes terror to the timid child. 
His eyes flash fury, enmit)-. 
When he his fellow-huntsmen .see. 

The,se forest hunters frowning meet. 
The white starts back, the savage greet; 
The affrighted Phadoc stood aghast, 
And in this wa^- some moments pas.sed; 
Until, at length, his silence broke— 
Thus from his quivering lips he .spoke: 
"Was your base envy aimed," said he, 
"And was your malice bent on me?" 
"To kill you first," he did reply, 
"Then all the rest that came nmst die." 

Conveyed away to Aurora far, 
To be arraigned at the bar — 
To hunt the forest deer no more. 
His crime to trj', to court bound o'er. 
The court and jury doth him try — 
Guilt)', he's found — condemned to die. 
Gravely the judge the sentence said — 
"You must be hanged x\ntil you are dead; 
Your body then must be dissected. 
Like one forlorn, despised, rejected." 

In close confinement he must stay. 
Until arrives the fatal day, 
When pious priests did him attend. 
For to remind him of his end. 
The answer that he gave was this: 
"I shall ascend to realms of bli.ss; 
But first I must descend to hell- 
To the dark regions, there to dwell 
Till all my guilt is purged away 
Then up to heaven ascend straightway." 

At length arrives the awful morn: 
Bring forth the prisoner all forlorn; 
The last sad sun his radiance shed 
Upon the guilty vagrant's head. 
Upon the cart he's borne away — 
Thousands of people throng the way; 
With savage firmness braves the stroke — 
The god of battle doth invoke; 
His death song sings with cheerful glee — 
"Me scare away Chepi," said he. 



They reach at length the fatal spot; 
With busy hands they knit the knot. 
The cart moves on from thence he's hurled. 
And launched into the unknown world. 
No parting streams, nor fish, nor bird. 
No spngs, nor mirthful shouts are heard; 
Nor deer, nor bear, nor foxes roam 
A dreary waste his final home.* 
There he must lead another life. 
Without a battle-axe or knife. 






ro>. 



^^^^ofW^ 



<<r* 



I ORENZO S. BARTHOLOMEW, M. D. 
\\. Probably no physician in the vicinity of 
LJ Reading Center is more thoroughl)- equipped 
for his profession than the gentleman whose name 
heads this sketch. His studies have been widely 
extended and pro.secttted under exceptional ad- 
vantages, and he asks no odds of ancestors, rank 
or position to lend color to his ability in his chosen 
work. The writer, aside from the knowledge of 
his professional skill, knows but the barest facts 
concerning his career. 

Mr. Bartholomew was born at Barrington, 
Yates County, N. Y., November 3, 1849, his 
parents being Alfred G. and Anna P. (Fish) 
Bartholomew. The father, a millwright by trade, 
is at present residing in Dundee, in which place 
Mrs. Bartholomew died in 1878. In the parental 
family were included a son and two daughters. 
The subject of this sketch was reared in Yates 
County, making that state his home until about 
1875. His literary education was obtained in the 
common schools of Dundee and at Starkey Sem- 
inary. Desirous of following a professional life, 
for which he seemed peculiarly adapted, he began 
the study of medicine in 188 1 as a .student in the 
Buffalo Medical College. From this noted in.sti- 
tution he was graduated with honors as a Doctor 
of Medicine three years later. 

When looking about for a suitable location in 
which to practice, Dr. Bartholomew came to 



* The Indians' idea of the place where bad Indians go. 



1 88 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Reading Center, where he has been estabHshed 
ever since, and is readj- at all times to alleviate 
such human suffering as presents itself to his at- 
tention . 

Dr. Bartholomew and Miss Matilda C. Thomas 
were united in marriage in Yates County, X. Y., 
June 20, 1878. Mrs. Bartholomew was born in 
that county August 18, 1850, the daughter of 
David Thomas, who departed this life at Rush- 
ville, N. Y.,in 1S86. The Doctor and his esti- 
mable wife have become the parents of two chil- 
dren, Grace and Allen P. Thej- are members in 
excellent .standing of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and the former has held many of the im- 
portant official positions in the same. He takes 
a verj- active part in all local affairs, and in him 
the community has a faithful and unswer\-ing 
friend, ever alert to serve its best interests, and 
one who can be depended upon at all times. In 
politics he is, and always has been, a .strong sup- 
porter of Republican principles. Socially he is a 
member of the Chemung County Medical Society, 
in the work of which he takes an interested and 
active part. 



-.•-t—h 



->-»-^ 



'-^^■^^ 



REV. FRANKLIN SHUMWAY HOWE, 
A. M. Among the professional men of 
Schuyler County, mention belongs to Mr. 
Howe, ofBurdett, where he is widely known and 
highly esteemed as the pastor of the Presbyterian 
Church, and where his labors have been rewarded 
with abundant success. 

A native of Vermont, our subject was born in 
Springfield, August 26, 1809. His parents were 
Joseph and Eunice (Smith) Howe, natives, re- 
spectively, of Framingham, Mass., and Spring- 
field, Vt. When Franklin S. was a lad of about 
seven years they came to this state, making loca- 
tion at Bergen, Geuesee Count)-, and after a resi- 



dence there of four years they removed to Riga, 
Jilonroe County, near the city of Rochester, where 
our subject grew to mature years. After pursu- 
ing his studies in the district schools he attended 
Oxford Academy and took a classical course in 
Rochester Institute, now known as Rochester 
University. This institute was then presided 
over b}- Gilbert Morgan, D. D., the well known 
Presbyterian divine. After his graduation in 
1836, Mr. Howe taught in the academy at Can- 
andaigua, N. Y., and two years later entered 
Auburn Theological Seminary, where he pursued 
the entire course. Four years thereafter he was 
granted a license to preach. 

After completing his ministerial studies Rev. 
Mr. Howe was sent by the American Sunday- 
school Union to the Gulf States, it being his duty 
to organize Sunday-schools, establish libraries 
and collect funds. He was later made Financial 
Secretary of this body for the Western and South- 
ern States, his headquarters being at Cincinnati. 
After two years thus engaged he was called to 
take charge of a congregation at Chillicothe, 
Ohio, of which he was the pastor for a period of 
five years. Previous to this, however, he preached 
at New Albany, Ind., for one year. His wife's 
health began to fail while in the Buckeye State, 
and Mr. Howe returned to New York, where he 
was in.strumental in establishing the church at 
West Hoboken, and one on One Hundred and 
Twenty-second Street, New York City. He be- 
caine pastor of the Presbyterian Church on the 
corner of Sixth Street and Second Avenue, New 
York City, but his labors in the metropolis 
proved very arduous and he was not able to 
stand the .strain. Accordingly he was compelled 
to resign his charge and go to the coxuitry, hav- 
ing charge of the church at Phelps for four and 
one-half years. In 1859 we find him located 
in Watkins, where he remained for eleven years. 
At the end of that time he was so broken down 
in health that he gave up all his pastoral duties 
and arranged his affairs to spend an indefinite 
time abroad. During the trip he visited Eng- 
land, Scotland, Holland, Germany, Italy and 
Switzerland. On fully regaining his health, he 
once more returned to his native land, and after 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



189 



holding temporary charges at both Southport 
and Hector came to Burdett, in Schuyler Coun- 
ty, where he now resides. He has made this 
section his home for the past fifteen years, for six 
of which he has been pastor of the church here. 
His good wife proved his efficient helpmate and 
tireless assistant in his labors for many years, 
and her kind words and gracious manners en- 
deared her to a host of friends. Rev. Mr. Howe 
has been engaged in ministerial work for the pa.st 
fifty-five years, and his name is known through- 
out the county as that of one of the noblest of his 
professional brethren. 

When the New York vState Grand Lodge of 
Masons secured the old college property at Ha- 
vana, Mr. Howe was chosen Vice-President of 
the same, and a few months thereafter, the Pres- 
ident retiring, he was made his successor. He 
devoted a great deal of his time and attention to 
this work, but it was later abandoned b)- the fra- 
ternity and his labors ceased. While in Ohio he 
was one of the Trustees of the college at Marietta, 
which institution in 1844 conferred upon him the 
degree of Master of Arts. While a resident of 
that place he established a temperance paper, 
which he conducted successfull)- for two or three 
years. He has always been an incessant worker, 
and has contributed many articles of interest and 
importance to the various religious journals and 
periodicals. While at Phelps Mr. Howe was in- 
strumental in having the old church building re- 
modeled, and also during his pastorate at Wat- 
kins he pushed forward the work of the church 
and built up a congregation whicli has since add- 
ed to its numbers until it is now the largest in 
the place. 

The marriage of Rev. Mr. Howe and Miss 
Clara Pierson occurred in New York City in 
1841. The lady was the daughter of Dr. Charles 
E. Pierson, Profe.5sor of one of the medical col- 
leges of that city. This lady .survived her mar- 
riage .seven years, passing away while her hus- 
band was pastor of the Presbyterian Church in 
New York City. In vSeptcmber, 1854, in Brook- 
lyn, Mr. Howe was married to Miss Martha R. 
Stewart, who departed this life in Burdett, April 
17, 1893. His union with Miss Pierson resulted 



in the birth of a son, Franklin Pierson, who died 
when two years old, and his portrait, which was 
painted by a celebrated artist, now hangs on the 
walls of the old home. 

During the late war, although not being ac- 
cepted as a volunteer, Mr. Howe assisted the 
Union cause greatly by raising troops. He is a 
Republican at national elections, otherwise is in- 
dependent, reserving the right to vote for the man 
whom he regards as the best, independent of 
part}'. He is the po.ssessor of a magnificent li- 
brary, containing both religious and miscellane- 
ous works, and keeps himself well informed re- 
garding new doctrines which are put forth, Mr. 
Howe is often called upon to a.ssist his fellow- 
clergymen, and he also frequently has other pro- 
fessional duties to perform. 




(John a. CURTIS, Vlce-President and Cen- 
I eral Manager of the Seneca Paint and Color 
\Z/ Company, was born in the town of Marcel- 
lus, Onondaga County, N. Y., March 13, 1832. 
He traces his ancestry back to his great-grandfa- 
ther, Eliphalet Curtis, who came from England 
and located in Comiecticut, where his son, Peter 
Curtis, the grandfather of our subject, was born. 
John Curtis, son of the latter, was also born in 
Connecticut, and went with his parents to Marcel- 
lus, N. Y., in a very early day. He grew to 
manhood in Onondaga County, and there married 
Amanda Carpenter, a native of Pompey, N. Y., 
born in 1792, and a daughter of Reuben Carpen- 
ter. For a inimber of years John Curtis manu- 
factured the old Clute Land-side Plows. He re- 
.sided at Marcellus until his death in 1868, his 
wife dying in 1864, at the same place. They 
were the parents of three sons. Theodore, wlio 
was emjiloyed l)y the Govenmient as interpreter 



I go 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



on the Western plains during the late war, now 
resides in Arizona; William, who is a pattern- 
maker, resides in Oil Cit\-, Pa. 

John A. Curtis, our subject, who is the young- 
est of the three brothers, spent his early life in 
Marcellus, and received his education in the dis- 
trict schools. He learned the painter's trade in 
the latter village, and in 1862 came to Seneca 
Falls and was employed in the paint department 
of the Silsby Manufacturing Company, remain- 
ing with the company some eight years. He 
then formed a partnership with George Shandley, 
under the firm name of Curtis & Shandley, in the 
paint and oil business, also dealing in artists' ma- 
terials. This partnership continued until 1890, 
when Mr. Curtis sold his interest to Mr. Shand- 
le}', having in the mean time organized the Sen- 
eca Paint and Color Company, the parties inter- 
ested being Messrs. Shandley, Knight and Cur- 
tis. In 1893 the firm was duly incorporated 
under the laws of the state, with John Shandley, 
President; John A. Curtis, Vice-President and 
General Manager; and W. O. Gatchell Secre- 



tarj- and Treasurer. The company manufactures 
all kinds of paint, and is recognized as one of the 
established industries of Seneca Falls. Sales are 
made in all parts of the country, especially in the 
states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsyl- 
vania, and several traveling salesmen are con- 
stantly employed in pu.shing the products of the 
works. The plant is a brick structure, 35x90 
feet, three stories in height, and the company 
employs from twelve to .sixteen men. The power 
is furnished by water. 

In 1S51 Mr. Curtis was married to Miss Martha 
Stuckey, a daughter of William Stuckey, of Mar- 
cellus, N. Y. They have three children: Charles; 
Alice, wife of Frank Wilcoxen, of Seneca Falls; 
and Cora, a telegrapher in the Western Union 
office at Seneca Falls. In politics Mr. Curtis is a 
pronounced Democrat, and has served two terms 
as Trustee of the village. Sociall5' he is a mem- 
ber of Pocahontas Lodge No. 211, F. & A. M. 
Enterprising and progressive, Mr. Curtis pushes 
his business with commendable zeal, and has 
added greatlv to the business life of Seneca Falls. 




RICHARD S. WILCOX. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



'93 



RICHARD S. WILCOX. 





RICHARD S. WILCOX, who during his life 
was a well known and highly respected citi- 
zen of Seneca County, was born on the farm 
where his family now resides, at Dey's Landing, 
in the town of \'arick, April i6, 1824. He wasa 
son of Jotham and Lois (Scudder) Wilcox, both 
of whom were natives of New Jersey, and who 
there married, moving to this state earl\- in the 
present centur)'. Richard was the only one of 
the family that was born in this state, and both 
parents died on the farm where he was born. 
Reared in a comparatively new settlement, he 
had but few educational advantages, first attend- 
ing the district schools, and later those at Ovid. 
Until after reaching his majority he remained at 
home with his parents, assisting in the cultiva- 
tion of the farm . 

For his first wife Mr. Wilcox married Miss 
Eliza P. Knight, of Massachusetts, who died in 
December, 1855. Their only .son died when 
about seven years of age. On the 19th of March, 
1856, our subject married Miss Berthena J. Kemp, 
of Niagara County, N. Y. By this union there 
were four children born: Etta E., who married 
E. L. Benjamin, and now resides on the home 
farm; Fannie L- , who married C. R. Kennedy, 

5 



of Romulus; Richard F., who died in infancy; 
and Richard, who died July 31, 1888, in his 
eighteenth year. 

Immediately after his marriage, Mr. Wilcox 
brought his young bride to his old home, where 
they lived happily together until his death, which 
occurred suddeidy, of apoplexy, April 16, 1879. 
The farm, which is located in the townsof \'arick 
and Romulus, consists of two hundred acres, and 
borders on Lake Seneca. Mr. Wilcox was ex- 
tensively engaged in general farming and stock- 
raising, in which he was quite successful, and al- 
ways kept his place under a high state of cultiva- 
tion. 

Politically Mr. Wilcox was a Democrat, and 
took an active part in the affairs of his town 
and county, although he never asked nor de- 
sired public office. While not a member of any 
church, he was a supporter and attendant of the 
West Romulus Baptist Church. For many years 
he was an active member of the Grange organi- 
zation, being identified with the one in the town 
of Romulus, and earnestly believed that its prin- 
ciples, if honestly carried out, would subserve the 
be.st interests of the farming community. For a 
number of vears he had been a Mason, 



194 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Wilcox, who was a well built man, was five 
feet six inches in height, and weighed one hun- 
dred and sevent}- pounds. When his death oc- 
curred he was engaged in building the house in 
which the family now resides. Few men in Sen- 
eca Count)- were better known and more highly 
respected than the subject of this sketch. 



HORACE W. KNIGHT. There are many 
important industries in Seneca Falls, and 
among these may be mentioned the concerns 
with which Mr. Knight has been connected, and 
to the success of which he has been a large con- 
tributor. He dates his residence in this city 
from the j-ear 1859, since which time, with the 
exception of a brief period spent in New York 
City, he has made his home here. After com- 
ing to this place a .second time, he purchased a 
plant and embarked in the manufacture of pat- 
tern letters. For these he found a ready .sale, 
building up a trade that extends from the At- 
lantic to the Pacific, and establishing a reputa- 
tion as a reliable and honorable man. The firm 
of Kuight & Son is widely known, and is num- 
bered among the solid companies of vSeneca Falls. 
A native of this state, our subject was born in 
May field, September 7, 1839, being the son of 
Rev. Horace B. and Mary (Hillman) Knight, 
natives re.spectively of Vermont and New York. 
The mother, who was a daughter of Isaac Hill- 
man, and sister of Joseph Hillman, of Troy, 
N. Y., a noted evangelist, passed away in Mt. 
Vernon, Ohio, at the age of sixty years. The fa- 
ther, who is still living and makes his home 
in Colorado, at one time was a resident of Sen- 
eca Falls, being pastor of the Wesleyan Church 
here for a number of years. While living at Sy- 
racuse, N. Y., he was agent for the American 
Wesleyan Book Concern. Throughout this coun- 
try he is well known by the prominent ministers 



of his denomination, and his labors as a minis- 
ter of the Gospel have been fruitful of much 
good. 

In the place where he was born Horace W. 
Knight passed the days of childhood and youth, 
and there he acquired the rudiments of his edu- 
cation in the common schools. Later he con- 
tinued his studies in other cities, and finally was 
graduated from the high school at Troy, Ohio. 
On completing his literarj' studies, he learned 
the printer's trade in the office of the American 
WcslcyaH, on Spruce Street, New York City, and 
after thoroughly mastering the occupation, he 
became a compositor in the office of the Syracuse 
(N. Y.) Journal. 

On coming to Seneca Falls in 1859, Mr. Knight 
accepted a position as compositor in a job office, 
also engaging in the same capacity on a paper. 
He was then but twenty years of age, yet he 
possessed the shrewdness and excellent judgment 
that seldom come until raaturer years. He was 
ambitious, too, and was not satisfied to remain 
in the employ of others. With characteristic 
confidence in his own ability to gain success, he 
purchased the plant operated hy his employers, 
and agreed to pay therefor the sum of $12,000, 
no slight undertaking for one with as little capi- 
tal as he had. He continued the business, em- 
ploying Arthur Baker as editor of the paper. 

From that 'Sir. Knight turned his attention to 
the manufacture of paper bags, for which he 
found a demand, and in which there were but 
few engaged. On selling out, he became con- 
nected with parties in New York City in the 
manufacture of the .same article on a larger scale. 
On his return to Seneca Falls, he bought a plant 
and began to manufacture pattern letters, in 
which enterprise he has since successfully en- 
gaged. Aside from this business, he is con- 
nected with other important industries in this 
city, and has aLso valuable real -estate interests. 

The marriageof Mr. Knight united him with 
Miss Sophia E., daughter of Samuel Taylor, of 
Seneca Falls. Five sons have been born to them: 
Charles H., Horace De Lancey, Willis G., Homer 
L. and Robert. The family residence is a neat 
and cozy abode, situated in the northern part of 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



195 



the city. In the First Congregational Church, of 
whicli he is a member, Mr. Knight has served as 
Treasurer for about a quarter of a century, and 
to the maintenance of its various enterprises he 
is a generous contributor. He is a Director in 
tlie Seneca Falls .Savings Bank, one of the im- 
portant financial concerns of the place. For a 
time he was also engaged in the manufacture of 
tissue paper, but has recently sold that interest. 
He aided in the incorporation of the Seneca Falls 
Carriage Company, of which he has since acted 
as Treasurer and General Manager. In all his 
enterprises he has displayed a cautiousne.ss of 
judgment and discrimination that have been of 
the greatest aid in promoting his financial pros- 
perit}'. In politics he is a Republican. 






K\ATHAN W. FOLWELL, M. D., was for 
I / seventj-two years a respected citizen of 
\Ui Seneca County, and was widely and favor- 
ably known. As a physician he ranked with the 
best in the community where he so long resided. 
As a citizen he was esteemed for his enterprise, 
and as a Christian he was loved and honored be- 
cause of his great faith, his loyalty and steadfast 
determination to walk in the footsteps of the 
Master, doing His work faithfully and well, and 
trusting in His promises as a child trusts in the 
promises of a father. He was born in Bucks 
County, Pa., in 1805, and was a son of William 
W. Folwell, al.so a native of the same county, 
and a grandson of Thomas and Elizabeth Fol- 
well, who were natives of Pennsylvania. On his 
father's side he was of English descent, and 
Scotch-Irish descent on his mother's .side. Thomas 
Folwell served with fidelity in the War of 18 12. 
Our subject was only two years old when his 
parents moved to Seneca County and located 
in the town of Romulus, where the father pur- 



chased a large tract of land and engaged in farm- 
ing during the remainder of his life. Nathan 
attended the district schools, where he laid a foun- 
dation for an excellent education, and then went 
to Lodi and attended a school taught by Robert 
Herriott at Townsendville. September 6, 1826, 
he entered Geneva (now Hobart) College, and 
was graduated from that institution August 6, 

1828. In September of the same year he re- 
turned to Townsendville and began the study of 
medicine with Dr. C. C. Coan, and in September, 

1829, he entered the Fairfield Medical College 
and was graduated therefrom in January, 1832. 
His most intimate friend while at college was 
Asa Gray, the famous botanist. Soon after leav- 
ing the latter college he formed a partnership 
with Dr. Coan, of Ovid, the connection lasting 
a few years. Later he went to Lodi, where he 
remained in practice until 1849, but on account 
of ill-health, in all probability caused by exposure, 
he gave up the practice of his profession, moved 
onto the old homestead, where he remained 
a short time, and then purchased about two hun- 
dred acres of land, which he improved and on 
which he resided until his death, February 4, 
1879, 

Dr. Folwell was united in marriage with Caro- 
line Reeder, a native of Trenton, N. J., who was 
born September 14, 181 1. To them were born 
ten children. William W. is living at Arcadia, 
Wayne County, where he is engaged in farming. 
Asa G. resides in Farmer, his farm adjoining 
the village. James D., a private in the Thir- 
ty-third New York Infantry, was taken prisoner 
and confined in Libby Prison; in 1S62 he died in 
a hospital in Philadelphia, his death resulting 
from ill-usage received while a prisoner of war. 
Ida T. is at home. Nathan W. and Emma R. are 
deceased. George F. is living on the home farm. 
Jennie E. is at home. Jud.son is the next in order; 
and Alice E. is deceased. 

Dr. Folwell was a member of the Baptist 
Church, and was a true Christian, one having at 
heart the love of the cause, and who was willing 
to make any .sacrifice that would advance the 
Master's kingdom. In politics he was an ardent 
Republican, with which party he had acted since 



196 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



its organization. A skillful pli3-sician and an 
honest, God-fearing man, his death was mourned 
by man}- friends throughout Seneca and adjoin- 
ing counties. His good wife survives him and is 
yet living on the old homestead, in fairly good 
health, although in her eighty-fifth year. Like 
her husband, she is an earnest Christian, and for 
years has been a member of the Baptist Church. 



NENRY K. DEY. On the banks of Lake 
Seneca lies one of the most beautiful homes 
of Seneca County, and here Mr. Dej- and his 
familj' reside. The place consists of seventy-two 
acres, upon which may be found all the improve- 
ments of a model farm, the land having been 
brought to a high state of cultivation and im- 
proved with a substantial set of buildings. In 
addition to this property, he owns another farm 
of seventy-three acres, the aggregate of his pos- 
.sessions being one hundred and fifty-five acres. 

Industry and perseverance have been the chief 
factors in the success secured by Mr. Dey. With 
the thrift and stability of his Holland ancestors, 
he combines the American characteristics of pluck 
and push. It is not strange, therefore, that he 
is numbered among the most prosperous farmers 
of the county where he has always made his 
home. While gaining financial success, he has 
also gained the esteem of his associates and the 
regard of a host of warm personal friends, who 
place the utmo.st confidence in his opinions and 
uprightness of character. 

The history of the Dey famih- in America is 
one of more than ordinary interest and extends 
back to a period very early in the settlement of 
this country. Dey Street, New York, is named 
after the original progenitor of the family in this 
country, who, crossing from Holland, made set- 
tlement on Manhattan Island. In the records of 
the Reformed Dutch Church of New York we find 



the marriage, on the 28th of December, 1641, of 
"Dirck Janszenj. ra. Van Amsterd, en Jannetze 
Theunis j. d. als Voren." The bachelor and 
spinster were both from Amsterdam. According 
to the Dutch custom, the first son was named 
Jan after his paternal grandfather, and the sec- 
ond, who was baptized September 24, 1656, re- 
ceived the name of his maternal grandfather, 
Teunis (or Theunis). 

In the same records is found the marriage of 
this "Teunis Deij j. m. (or Dey) Van N. Yorck 
en Anneken Schouten j. d. als Voren Veijde 
wonende alhier. " This Teunis owned a farm of 
five and one-half acres, three hundred and nine 
feet front on Broad waj-, and eight hundred feef 
deep to the Hudson River, the same being now 
crossed by Dey Street. Teunis had a son Dirck, 
who was baptized March 27, 1687. October g, 
1 717, he bought six hundred acres of land for ;^i20 
from the heirs of Thomas Hart, one of the orig- 
inal twelve proprietors of East Jersey, the land 
being situated in the county of Bergen, province 
of East New Jersey. In 1730 he purchased from 
Peter Sonmans a tract of two hundred acres in the 
same neighborhood, for which he paid ^^50. 

Dirck De3' is mentioned in the records as a 
"yeoman." He left a son Teunis (or Theunis), 
who was the great-grandfather of our subject, 
and who erected the dwelling at Preakncss in 
which Washington made his headquarters dur- 
ing the finst three weeks of July, 1780. He was 
Colonel of a Bergen County regiment of militia in 
the early part of 1776, and served under Wash- 
ington. Tradition .says that when the illustrious 
General came to Bergen County, the room in the 
stone house in which he made his headquarters 
was papered at his expense, and the paper was 
never removed until about 1869. 

Derrick (or Richard), a son of Teunis Dey, 
was a Captain in the regiment to which his fa- 
ther belonged, and served under General Wash- 
ington. Teunis was a member of the New Jer- 
sey Assembly in 1776, and in 1779-80-81 repre- 
sented Bergen County in Council, returning to 
the Assembly in 1783. In 1780 the wives of 
Teunis and Richard Dey were appointed on a 
committee of Bergen County ladies to raise funds 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



197 



for the relief of American troops. Soon after the 
close of the Revolution Richard Dey became Sher- 
iflf of Bergen County. He also served as County 
Collector, and was made a General in the militia. 
In i8or he sold his homestead, with three hundred 
and fifty-five acres of land, for ^^3,000. He was 
born at Preakness, N. J., followed the occupa- 
tion of a farmer, and lived in the stone house 
built by his father. 

A son of Richard, named Anthony Dey, who 
was a lawyer by profession, was one of the found- 
ers of Jersey City, and for many years was one 
of the most prominent men of the place. Others 
of the family moved to Onondaga County, N. Y., 
and the name of Dey has entirely disappeared 
from Preakness, and the land has passed into 
other hands. Another son of Richard was Pier- 
son Dey, the father of our subject. Pierson was 
born near Paterson, N. J., in 1780, and was 
twice married, his first wife dying in early life, 
at the birth of her only child. At that time Mr. 
Dey, who was a seafaring man, was absent on a 
voyage to China and other port.s, which consumed 
so much time that the child was eighteen months 
old when he returned. His second marriage took 
place in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1S06, and the cler- 
gyman who oflBciated was ' 'Dominie' ' Law. This 
second wife, Sarah Conover, who was born on 
Long I.sland, was the mother of our subject. 

After his second marriage Pierson Dey en- 
gaged in the sawmill business at Paterson, N. J., 
and five children were born there. In 18 12 he 
moved to Seneca County and located on the farm 
where our subject now lives. At that time the 
place was a dense forest, giving little indication 
of its present cultivated state. The journey to 
Seneca County was made with a three-horse team 
in eleven and one-half days, the entire household 
possessions being brought at the same time. The 
trip at the present time requires only eight hours. 

Arriving at his destination, Pierson Day pur- 
chased one hundred and fifty acres on the east 
shore of Lake Seneca. He had never been ac- 
customed to farm life, and found it extremely dif- 
ficult to clear the land and place it in a condition 
for cultivation. During the first year his home 
was in a log house on the bank of the lake. As 



time passed by, he became more prosperous, and 
finally acquired a large amount of valuable prop- 
erty, including another farm which bordered on 
the lake. Especially interested in fine horses, he 
introduced the breeding of the "Messenger" stock 
in Seneca County, going to Long Island for the 
start. In early life a Whig, he became a Repub- 
lican on the organization of the party, and was a 
strong anti-.slavery man. Never an aspirant for 
office, he preferred the quiet discharge of his du- 
ties as a citizen to the active and unpleasant tur- 
moil incident to politics. In his fraternal rela- 
tions he was a Mason. After a long and honor- 
able life he passed away in December, 1863, and 
his body was interred in the family burying- 
ground near the old homestead. His wife, who 
died in 1867, was buried by his side. 

In the family of Pierson Dey there were eight 
children, three of whom were born after coming 
to Seneca County. Our .subject, who was the 
youngest of the family, was born February 19, 
1824, on the homestead where he still resides. 
In boyhood his time was passed in the usual 
manner of farmer lads, alternating attendance at 
school with work on the old homestead. He suc- 
ceeded, though under some disadvantages, in se- 
curing a fair education, and is to-day a man of 
broad information. At the age of twenty-one 
he began to work for his father on shares, con- 
tinuing in that way until the death of the latter. 

The first marriage of Mr. Dey took place in 
1848, his wife being Miss Williampe Conover, 
of New York City. This lady was born in Mon- 
mouth, N. J., but at the age of five years was 
taken to New York City, where she made her 
home until her marriage. She died in 1881 , leav- 
ing no children. November 11, 1884, Mr. Dey 
was united in marriage with Mi.ss Isabelle Youells, 
who was born in Allegany County, N. Y. When 
she was five years of age, her parents moved to 
Van Buren County, Mich., where she lived until 
1S73, receiving in girlhood a common-school 
education. She is the daughter of Elijah and 
Melvina (Smith) Youells, the former of whom 
died in June, 1892, while the latter is still living 
in Michigan. Mr. and Mrs. Dey are the parents 
of a son, Henry K., who was born on the home 



198 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



farm in the town of Fayette, September 8, 1892, 
and who is now (1895) a bright and intelligent 
child of three years. 

At the death of his father, Mr. Dey, having 
saved $1,700, bought out the other heirs to the 
homestead, and here he has continued to reside, 
dev-oting his attention to farm work. As a farmer, 
he is intelligent and progressive, and is always 
interested in the improvements that will benefit 
the farmer. In the rotation of crops he displays 
intelligence and good judgment. The appear- 
ance of his farm, with its neat buildings and fields 
separated by good fencing, indicates his thrift and 
orderly spirit. 

During his early life Mr. Dey voted the Whig 
ticket. His first Presidential ballot was cast in 
1848, for Taylor. At the organization of the 
Republican party, he joined its ranks, and in 
1856 voted for John C. Fremont for President. 
Following the sound advice given by his father, 
he has avoided politics and has refused official 
positions. The chicanery and trickery which too 
often have characterized politicians have di.sgu.sted 
him so much that of late years he has not even 
gone to the polls. With his wife, he holds mem- 
bership in the Presbyterian Church at West Fay- 
ette. He is a man whose life has been successful, 
but whose success has been achieved by energy, 
perseverance and shrewd business qualities. He 
is known for his careful judgment, his energy 
and uprightness, and his business transactions 
have been conducted with such a regard for fair- 
ness, honesty and integrit},- that not a stain rests 
upon his reputation. 



(^ 



^^111^^, 



^ 



^IllSg^" 



^ 



■"MMETT B. RUSSELL. The business in- 
^ terests of Watkins have for years had an 
.^ able representative in the gentleman named, 
who, having made this place his home since boy- 
hood, is intimately associated with the develop- 



ment of its material interests and has been an 

important factor in its growth and progress. To 
him and such as he is largely due the enviable 
reputation enjoyed by the village as a business 
and commercial center. His principal industrj- 
is the wholesale hay business, in which, as the 
senior member of the firm of Russell & Co. , he 
has a large trade, handling hay not only from 
this, but also from adjoining counties. 

Born in Steuben County, N. Y., November 19, 
1844, ^Ir. Russell is of direct English descent. 
The family had been, driven to Holland by re- 
ligious persecution, and from that country came 
to America, becoming pioneers of eastern New 
York. The grandfather, Benjamin Russell, was 
a prominent resident of Ulster County, and his 
family was one of the last in his state to hold 
slaves. 

The father of our subject, also named Benja- 
min, was born in Ulster Count}-, N. Y., in 18 10, 
and for fifty years was an active minister of the 
Presbyterian Church. He married Harriet Whit- 
comb, a native of New Hampshire, who in child- 
hood removed to Allegany County, N. Y. Of 
their three sons and three daughters who attained 
years of maturity, Emmett B. was the youngest. 
His boyhood days were passed in Schujler Coun- 
ty and in the state of Michigan, whither he had 
accompanied his parents when young, there at- 
tending the seminary at Ypsilanti. On their 
return to New York he settled with them in Ty- 
rone. Later he read medicine with Dr. Nichols, 
of Weston, Schuyler County, and sub.sequently 
entered the medical department of the University 
of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where he continued 
his studies for two years. Returning from there 
to Watkins, he formed a partnership with Martin 
S. Phinney, under the firm name of Phinney & 
Russell, and embarked in the drug business, 
building up a large and profitable trade. At the 
death of Mr. Phinney, which occurred in 1875, 
the business was clo.sed out. Mr. Russell then 
began the handling of hay, which he has since 
carried on with success. 

The marriage of Mr. Russell, which occurred 
in 1872, united him with Miss Elizabeth, daugh- 
ter of Robert Lockwood, of Watkins. They, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



199 



with their two children, Elizabeth L. and Esther 
L., occupy a comfortable residence on Terrace 
Hill. The political belief of Mr. Ru.ssell has 
caused him to ally himself with the Republican 
party, the principles of which he always supports. 
Upon that ticket he has been chosen to occupy a 
number of positions of trust and responsibility in 
the community. In i88g he was elected a mem- 
ber of the Board of Education, and is still serving 
in that capacity-, having been President of the 
board for a time. With his wife, he holds mem- 
bership in the First Presbyterian Church of Wat- 
kins. 



-^-1 ♦^®^^®^*<» •-+- 



gEORGE W. LARZELERE, who is one of 
the old-time and honored residents of Sen- 
eca County, is living on a good estate of 
forty acres on the old turnpike road east of Sen- 
eca Falls, across the road from where he was born, 
January 18, 1836. His parents were Harvey W. 
and jMahala (Slawson) Larzelere. The former 
was born near this place, and the mother was a 
native of Orange County, N. Y. Jacob E. Lar- 
zelere, the grandfather, was born in Morristown, 
Morris County, N. J., February 27, 1774. In 
1795 he came to what is now the town of Seneca 
Falls, and was one of the first to locate in this 
community; he came here in the capacity of a 
surveyor, this being a military tract. In that 
early day he surveyed an extensive tract of land 
near the citj- of Buffalo, when there were but two 
houses where now .stands that thriving city. He 
assisted in raising the first house in Ithaca, and 
was in many other ways identified with the de- 
velopment and early settlement of this part of the 
state. 

After his settlement in the town of .Seneca Falls 
the grandfather of our subject became the owner 
of a large tract of land. He twice represented 
his district in the State Legislature, and served 
as Sheriff and Associate Judge for many years. 



December i, 1844, he departed this life in Sen- 
eca Falls and his remains were laid to rest on the 
banks of Cayuga Lake, in Bridgeport, by the 
side of his two wives. He became the father of 
six children, five of whom were born of his first 
marriage, and one of his second. 

Harvey W. Larzelere was born February 25, 
1806, while the lady who became his wife was 
born August i of the year following. He was 
endowed by nature with a good memory and an 
active mind, and during his boyhood days he 
made the very most of his opportunities for gain- 
ing an education. Bj' his marriage with Miss 
Slawson he became the father of five children, of 
whom George W., of this hi.story, was the eldest 
but one. Anna Maria married Amasa Smith, 
and is living at Antigo, Wis. ; Jane C. died when 
twenty-five years of age; Charles H. also makes 
his home in the above place in Wisconsin; Mar}' 
C. is now Mrs. Oliver Burroughs, and resides in 
Bridgeport. The husband and father was a 
stanch Democrat in politics, although he at all 
times refused to hold office. He lived until 1883, 
passing away October 6 of that year. His wife 
died March 28, 1867. 

The subject of this .sketch passed many years 
of his life on the old homestead. During his 
boyhood he attended school and assisted in the 
work on the place until becoming of age, when 
he left home and went to Washtenaw County, 
Mich. After remaining there less than a year, 
however, he returned home and lived with his fa- 
ther until i860. That year we again find him in 
the Wolverine State, this time living in Shiawas- 
see County, but after about ten months he again 
returned to New York. 

August 27, 1862, our subject enlisted in the 
service of the Union army and joined Company 
K, Fiftieth New York Engineers. With his reg- 
iment he helped to bridge the Rappahannock be- 
low Fredericksburg, the Potomac at Harper's 
Ferry, built two bridges at Berlin, .seven miles 
from Harper's Ferry, and also built one over the 
Rapidan, where General Grant crossed with his 
army. This work was a very dangerous one, as 
the men were nearly always under the fire of the 
enemy, who wished to prevent them from build- 



200 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ing the bridges. Mr. L,arzelere served until 
June 15, 1865, when he was honorably discharged. 
He had no occasion for spending his wages, and 
although the amount allowed him was very small, 
yet he saved about $650, $450 of which he sent 
home to his parents. 

George \V. was ver}- kind to his father and 
mother and cared for them until their decease. 
Then he purchased the interest of the other heirs 
in the place and is now the sole owner of the home 
farm. He was married, February 25, 1868, to 
Miss Nancy VV. Duesler, whose birth occurred 
in the town of Potter, Yates County, N. Y., July 
2, 1839. Herparents were William and Cather- 



ine (Slawson) Duesler, natives, respectively, of 
Montgomery and Orange Counties, this state. 
After his union, our subject took up his perma- 
nent residence on the old homestead. He is a Re- 
publican in politics, having never missed voting 
during the National elections, with the exception 
of the year when he was absent from home in 
Michigan. He is a strong temperance man, and 
is also greatly interested in Grand Army affairs, 
whenever possible attending the reunions held in 
various parts of the countr)-. His wife is a de- 
voted member of the Baptist Church, and she is 
also a member of the Woman's Christian Tem- 
perance Union and the Woman's Relief Corps. 






--. 




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I 



PETER M. WESTBROOK. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



203 




QETER M. WESTBROOK. The subject of 
U' the following sketch can certainly look back 
t^ upon a busy life and feel that his labors 
have not been in vain. He is rewarded by the 
peace and plenty which surround his declining 
years, and the rest which he can now take after 
the hard fight again,st adverse circumstances and 
povert}-. He is living retired in the town of 
Tyre, Seneca County, and is one of its oldest and 
most respected residents. 

Mr. Westbrook was born in the town of Mon- 
tague, Sussex County, N. J., September 28, 
1 8 18, and is the son of Jacob S. and Elizabeth 
(Shinier) Westbrook, also natives of that .state. 
The first of the name in America were two 
brothers, who came hither from Holland, but just 
where they fir.st located is not known, although 
it is very probable they made their home in 
Ulster County, N. Y., where are now living a 
number of their descendants. From the great- 
grandfather down to the present generation all 
have been farmers. 

The grandfather of our subject, Soveryne 
Westbrook, spent his entire life in New Jersey, 
while his son Jacob S. left that state when Peter 
M. was seventeen years of age. He made the 
trip to Seneca County overland with teams, and, 
choosing the town of Tyre for his future home, 
here purchased one hundred and twenty acres of 
land, a part of which is still in the family. The 



grandfather was born August 3, 178S, and died 
on his seventy-seventh birthday. 

The parental household included six sons and 
three daughters, all of whom grew to mature 
years. Of this family our subject was the fifth 
in order of birth, and with the exception of his 
brother Alpha, who lives on the old home farm 
in the town of Tyre, is the only survivor. Al- 
though in no sense of the term a politician, the 
father of this family always voted for Democratic 
candidates. He was a consistent member of the 
Dutch Reformed Church. 

Peter M. Westbrook regularly attended the 
schools of his native state, and after coming to 
New York also carried on his studies here for a 
time. He worked for his father until attaining 
his majority, when he worked a farm on shares 
for one year, gaining thereby a snug little sum of 
money, out of which he was enabled to lay by 
$200. He then worked out by the month for 
several years, each pay-day saving a portion of 
his hard-earned money, it being his ambition to 
become the owner of his own property. About 
this time he entered into partnership with a 
brother and purcha.sed a tract of fifty acres in the 
town of Tyre, which shortly proved to be a very 
poor investment. He was not di.scouraged, how- 
ever, and his present condition in life only goes 
to prove the success which will be meted out to 
everyone who is brave in overcoming obstacles. 



204 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RKCORD. 



Mr. Westbrook was married when about twen- 
ty-six years of age to Miss Phebe Munsou, then 
living in the town of Tyre, although she, too, was 
a native of New Jersey. She was brought to this 
state by her parents, Stephen and Elizabeth 
(Baldwin) Munson, who became well-to-do resi- 
dents of this section. To our subject and his es- 
timable wife there were granted two daughters; 
Lovina E., born April 13, 1846; and Ella V., 
July 10, 1848. The latter nrtirried James R. 
English, and they have a family of three chil- 
dren. The elder daughter is the wife of William 
A. Durling, a substantial agriculturist of this 
town, whose sketch follows this. Mrs. West- 
brook departed this life March 20, 1895, at the 
advanced age of eighty-six years. 

In the year 1847 our subject purchased one 
hundred and seventy-eight acres of land where 
he now lives, and in 1865 bought eighty-five 
acres moro, this tract joining his estate on the 
south. His life has lieen an example to others, 
showing that where there is a will there is also a 
way. In politics Mr. Westbrook is a Democrat, 
and on this ticket was elected Highwaj' Com- 
missioner, holding the office for a period of two 
years, and accepting as compensation for his 
services only $ig per year. 



'^ 






IIIXIAM A. DURLING. Every commu- 
nity has among its citizens at least a few 
of recognized influence and ability, who by 
their systematic and thorough method of work 
attain to a success which is justly deserved. Mr. 
Durling has for many years given agriculture the 
principal part of his attention, and is therefore de- 
serving of the success which has crowned his ef- 
forts. He is now living in the town of Tyre, 
Seneca County, in which locality he is well and 
favorably known. 



The subject of this sketch was born in the town 
of Romulus, September 14, 1849, and was the 
son of George V. and Adaline (Benjamin) Dur- 
ling, natives of Seneca County. His father was 
a fine mechanic, and for several years worked at 
the cooper's trade at Romulus. Later, however, 
when our subject was twelve months old, he 
moved to Seneca Falls and gave his attention 
thereafter to work in a machine-shop. William 
A. was reared and educated in the latter place, 
completing a common-school education when six- 
teen years of age. Being anxious to make an 
early start in life, he entered a grocery store as 
clerk, but three years later abandoned that busi- 
ness, and apprenticed himself to learn the trade 
of a machinist in Seneca Falls. After working 
at this for about nine years, he was married, and 
thereafter followed agricultural pursuits. 

The lady whom our subject chose as his wife 
was Miss Lovina E. Westbrook, and the cere- 
mony which made them one was performed 
March 24, 187 1. The lady was born in the town 
of Tyre, and is the daughter of Peter M. and 
Phebe (Mun.son) Westbrook, prominent resi- 
dents of this community. 

The three children comprising the household 
of our subject and his wife are Ethel May, Leska 
Lovina and William Martin. The elder daugh- 
ter is a finely educated and accomplished young 
lad)-, and in 1894 was graduated from Mynderse 
Academj' in vSeneca Falls. She is now teaching 
in the district school near her home. 

In 1875 Mr. Durling left the above city and 
took up his abode on the farm where he now re- 
sides. This property includes one hundred and 
thirty-three acres, bearing first-class improve- 
ments. Mr. Durling devotes the greater part of 
it to the raising of the various cereals, although 
he has on the place several head of fine horses 
and thorough-bred cattle. He is making a de- 
cided success of this department of work, and is 
classed among the substantial residents of the 
comnuuiity. 

Mr. Durling is very popular among the people, 
and is now serving his .second term as Justice of 
the Peace, making in all eight years in which he 
has held the office. Politically he is a Democrat. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



205 



Both himself and wife belong to the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, in which he is serving as 
Steward. He is greatly interested in Sunday- 
school work, and for two years was the favorite 
Superintendent. Socially he is a member of the 
Knights of Pythias Lodge No. 104 at vSeneca 
Falls. Industry and enterprise are numbered 
among his chief characteristics, and by his up- 
right dealing and good business ability he has 
won prosperity. 



@. 



.®" 









0UINCY A. EARNEST, one of the most 
useful men of Tyrone, is a dealer in agri- 
cultural implements, and has been very suc- 
cessful in his business ventures here. He is up- 
right, thoroughly honest in all his transactions, 
and by keeping a large and well selected stock of 
uiachinerj- has gained the patronage of farmers 
of this locality. In addition to this enterprise, 
he is the owner of a fine tract of land devoted to 
general farming, and deals in livestock and wool, 
having since 1885 shipped stock to New York 
City, carrying on an extensive business in that 
line. 

A native of New York, Mr. Earnest was born 
in Wayne, Steuben County, April 14, 1855. 
About 1875 he came with the family to Schuyler 
County and settled in the village of Wayne. 
Here he was united in marriage, September 25, 
1883, with Miss Ophelia Lock, a native of Bath, 
N. Y., and they are the parents of a son, Harry, 
who was born December 2, 1885. Mrs. Earnest 
is a lady of estimable character, and is a daughter 
of Ranson and Elizabeth (Haven) Lock, who 
were born in Bath and still make that place their 
home. 

John J. Earnest, father of our subject, was 
born in Steuben County and was a resident there 



until his removal, in 1875, to this county. By 
occupation he was a farmer. Besides carrying 
on an extensive business in the maiuifactnre of 
wagons and carriages, he also dealt largely in 
wool, sheep and cattle, buying on a large scale. 
He married Miss Lucy Smith, a lady whose noble 
attributes and kindly disposition won for her the 
friendship of all whom she met, and her death, 
which occurred in the town of Tyrowe, June 2, 
18S3, was deeply mourned. The family consisted 
of six children, named, respectively, William W., 
Clinton D., W. Scott, Cassius M., Quincy A. 
and Mary I. The last-named is the wife of 
Charles Bailey, and makes her home in the town 
of Tyrone. 

In politics Mr. Earnest, of this sketch, is a 
stanch supporter of Republican principles, and 
takes a commendable interest in local affairs. 
Both in business affairs and in society he enjoys 
the greatest confidence of his fellow-men. His 
success in life has been secured by persevering 
labor, and his whole career has marked him as a 
man in whom the connnunit}- may well take 
pride. 



iILLIAM GILES. The agricultural inter- 
ests of vSchuyler County are ably repre- 
sented by Mr. Giles, who is the proprietor 
of a handsome property in the town of Orange, 
his possessions including two farms of eighty- 
four acres each. The farms adjoin and are both 
admirably improved. In 1870 Mr. Giles first 
.settled on his property, which is ni the northern 
portion of the town. It was formerly owned b)-^ 
Dr. Silas B. Hibbard, who located here upon his 
removal from Massachusetts, about the year 1S25. 
Besides carrying on a large practice, the latter 
made many valuable improvements on this prop- 
erty, and continued to make it his home until his 
decease, in 1865, when eighty-four years of age. 
The subject of this sketch was born in the town 



2o6 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of Orange, near his present home, March i, 
1828, the son of William and Elizabeth (Park- 
hurst) Giles, both natives of Monroe Count}-, this 
state. The}- removed to this locality about the 
year 1825, at a time when the country bore but 
little improvement in the way of good farms. 
The father went industriously to work to clear 
his tract, and, as he possessed some means, was 
enabled to do this in a much shorter time than 
it would otherwise have taken. The old home- 
stead is now owned by Levi Giles. The father 
died in 185 1, aged fifty-five years, while his good 
wife, who survived him nine years, was jn her 
seventy-fourth year at the time of her decease. 

To William and Elizabeth Giles there were 
born nine children, of whom two .sons and three 
daughters are now living. William, of this his- 
tor\-, remained with his parents until twenty-two 
years of age, when he hired out to work for Dr. 
Hibbard. He remained with him just one sum- 
mer, when his father asked him to return home 
and oversee the work of the estate. On the 
death of the latter he was made the administra- 
tor, and settled up the estate. 

He then formed a partnership with his brother 
Levi, and together they worked the farm until- 
1875, when our subject became the owner of his 
present farm. The buildings upon the place were 
erected by Dr. Hibbard, but Mr. Giles has re- 
modeled them, so that the farm presents a verj- 
pleasing appearance to the passer-by. He is very 
handy in the use of carpenter's tools, and has 
been prevailed upon by many of the residents for 
ten miles around to aid in the construction of 
their dwellings. 

The marriage of Mr. Giles with Miss Margaret 
Aim Horning was celebrated January 8, 1851. 
She died in November, 1887, after having become 
the mother of six children, namely: Horatio H., 
a farmer in the town of Tyrone; Arsula D., who 
married Smith Holliday, of Watkins, an engineer 
on the Northern Central Road; Cytheria, who 
married James Love, also a farmer of the town 
of TjTone; Plummer Leroy, who is cultivating a 
farm in that locality; Ida May, Mrs. Sardus 
Rappalye, a tenant on the old farm; and John, 
who died when eight years of age. 



April 4, 1895, Mr. Giles was married to Mrs. 
Emma (Evans) Obert, the widow of Peter Obert, 
of Beaver Dams. Her birth occurred near Town- 
send, town of Orange, in 1842, and by her mar- 
riage she became the mother of a daughter, Edith 
May, who is now the wife of Clyde Bronson, of 
Townsend. Mr. Giles is an ardent Christian, 
and for forty years has been a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church of Tyrone. In poli- 
tics he is a Democrat, and has been the recipient 
of many ofiScial po.sitions within the gift of his 
fellow- townsmen to bestow. 






30SEPH P. SLACK is spending the evening 
of his days, and enjoying the fruits of his 
long and laborious life, in the village of Wa- 
terloo. He was born in Mexico, Oswego County, 
N. v., January 15, 1817, the son of Israel and 
Sarah (Perkins) Slack. The father, a native of 
Vermont, was a farmer b}' occupation, and round- 
ed out more than fourscore years, dying in 1854, 
in his eighty-fifth year. He was of Engli.sh de- 
scent, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. 
Mr. Slack, whose name begins this article, is 
the only member of the family surviving, two 
sons having passed away. His early school days 
were passed in the district schools. In Oswego 
County he began farming, and in connection with 
this also carried on a dairy. In i860 he sold this 
farm and removed to Waterloo, but soon after- 
ward became interested in the oil-refining busi- 
ness in Titusville, Pa. Presently he returned to 
Waterloo, and entered into business associations 
with Charles C. Gridley. They worked together 
for four years, and in the development of the 
city had a fair share. The Academy of Music, a 
building of which the townspeople are justly 
proud, and the only structure of the kind in the 
place, was erected under their management. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



207 



January 16, 1838, Mr. Slack and Miss Maria 
E. Furniss were united in a marriage that was to 
contiiuie for more than a half-century, and prove 
that it is indeed good for a man to have a wife to 
lighten his home, cheer his heart, and inspire his 
life. Mrs. Slack was born in England in 1819, 
and about ten years later came to this country 
with her parents, finding a home in Mexico. In 
the first bloom of her girlish beauty she was 
wooed and won, and her early love filled and 
made beautiful her whole life. She was known 
by all the community as a lovely soul, and the 
graces and charities of her daily life made her 
doubly dear to all who came under the influence 
of her gracious character. She was not spared the 
common trials and afflictions of human nature, 
but in a large and helpful way she rose above 
them, and exhibited a beautiful spirit of patience 
and trust. A modest and yet confident trust in 
the realities of faith and religion moved her to 
seek membership in the Presbyterian Church 
and made her work in its association a tender 
memory to all with whom she came in contact. 
She died August 3, 1894, after a lingering and 
painful sickness of more than seven weeks' dura- 
tion, made luminotis by her patient and coura- 
geous suffering. All that is mortal of her noble 
and beautiful life rests under the shadows of Ma- 
ple Grove Cemetery. 

There were three sons born to this happily 
wedded couple, only one of whom is now living, 
Edson F., who is a resident of Waterloo. Jud- 
son C. died in 1863, and Alfred H. in 1892. Two 
sisters of Mrs. Slack are still living, one in Fre- 
donia, and the other in Cassadaga, and three 
brothers reside in this city. Edson F. Slack, 
though a resident of Waterloo, is Superintendent 
of the Seneca Falls Electric Street Railway and 
is one of the prominent and aggressive young 
business men of the daj'. 

Joseph Slack is now nearing the clo.se of an 
active and well spent life, and as the evening 
shadows deepen he can recall with satisfaction 
the days and the scenes of "the long ago." He 
has not only worked hard himself, but he has 
been appreciated by his friends and neighbors. 
While in Mexico he was chosen to fill the posi- 



tions of Commi.ssioner of Highways and Trustee 
of the public academy, the district school, the 
corporation and the church, and had it not been 
for his disinclination for public life, it is safe to 
say he would have been called out of his retire- 
ment to many more important offices. 



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pQlLLARD J. FENNO. Our subject is a 
\ A / prominent citizen of the town of Tyre, 
VV Schuyler County, and is the owner of a 
fine property, where he carries on farming on an 
extensive scale. His parents, Joel and Sarah 
(Corey) Fenno, were both born in Gardner, 
Mass., the former in February, 1800, and the lat- 
ter in July of the same year. They were there 
married, and in 182 1 came to what is now the 
town of Tyrone, locating on property a short dis- 
tance from Altay, and there lived for some forty 
years, when they took up their abode in Reading 
Center. There the mother died in May, 1868, 
and the father in the year 1880. 

The parental household included six children, 
of whom we make the following mention: Sarah 
C. is the wife of Samuel Cole; Hezekiah died 
while a resident of Saginaw, Mich.; Willard J., 
of this history, was the third-born; Carmillus is 
a resident of Altay; Alexander departed this life 
in Altay in June, 1855; Lucy A. died in the same 
place several years before, when in her sixth 
year. 

Our subject, who is the eldest son now living, 
was born near Altay, in the town of Tyrone, May 
9, 1826. He was well educated for that day, and 
remained at home until 1856, or until thirty years 
of age. May i of that year he was married to 
Miss Emma T. Honeywell, who was born in 
Scipio, Cayuga County, N. Y., June 8, 1831. 
Her father was Enoch Honeywell, born in Bed- 
ford, this state, September 23, 1788. Her mother. 



2o8 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



who before her marriage was Eliza Dye, was a 
native of Rhode Island, born March i6, 1795. 
Mr. and Mrs. Hone3\vell were married Septem- 
ber 30, 1820, in Brookfield, Madison County, 
N. Y., and afterward settled in Cayuga County, 
where they lived for several years, and then came 
to what is now Schuyler County. The trip here 
was made in 1836, and the family took up their 
abode on property near Altay, where the parents 
lived and died. The mother passed awaj' May 
4, 1868, while Mr. Honeywell lived until January 
13, 1887. They were the parents of three chil- 
dren, viz.: Alba, who engaged quite extensivelj' 
in farming in Hoopeston, 111. : Gilbert, an agricult- 
urist of the town of Tyrone; and Emma T., Mrs. 
Fenno. 

After his marriage our subject removed to 
Starkey, Yates County, where he lived for two 
}-ears, when he purchased the homestead of Enoch 
Honeywell, and this has continued to be his home 
ever since. By his union with Miss Hone3-well 
there was granted a son, Frank H., who was born 
n Starkey, Yates County, July 14, 1857. He 
was a finely educated gentleman, and at the time 
of his decease, in 1892, was Professor of Elocution 
in the Blue Mountain ('Miss.) Female College. 
He completed his studies in Starkey Seminary 
and Cook Academy at Havana, after which he 
attended Professor Emmerson's College of Ora- 
tory in Boston. He was graduated, however, 
from the National School of Elocution and Ora- 
tory at Philadelphia, Pa., in 1878, at the age of 
twenty -one. Prior to accepting the professorship 
in the Blue Mountain College he was engaged in 
the mercantile business at Altay, owning what 
was known as the "Altay Store" for a period 
of ten years, during a portion of which time 
he was Postmaster. He taught .school for sev- 
eral years and was teacher of elocution in many 
colleges in different parts of the country. Frank 
Fenno was married, in April, 1882, to Miss Sarah 
Perry, who was born in Altay and who was the 
daughter of the late Mathew Perry. This union 
resulted in the birth of three children, namely: 
Edith May, Grace Lillian and Emerson W'illard. 
Frank Feuno died of typhoid-pneumonia, at Blue 
Mountain, after a short illness, and his remains 



were brought to Altay and interred in the family 
burying-ground. His widow still remains in 
Blue Mountain, where she is engaged in teaching 
school. 

The estate on which our subject is residing 
consists of one hundred acres of highly produc- 
tive land, on which may be found all the necessary- 
buildings. He is not an office-.seeker, although he 
takes great interest in the success of the Repub- 
lican party. With his wife, he attends the Baptist 
Church, of which they are worthy and valued 
members. 



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-5 — »-•- 



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/^lEORGE \V. BROKAW is one of the enter- 
|_. prising farmers of the town of Lodi, who has 
^jl made his farm j-ield him capital for other 
and allied business interests. He was born on 
the farm where he now resides, March 12, 1834, 
his parents being Abram C. and Eliza A. (Huff) 
Brokaw. The father was also bom on this farm, 
as have been the three following generations. The 
mother was born in New Jersey. The grandfa- 
ther, David Brokaw, who came from New Jersey 
to this county about 1800, settled in the town of 
Lodi, where our subject now resides. He pur- 
chased one hundred and fifty acres of land, then 
in a wild state, but later converted it into a val- 
uable and highly cultivated farm, making it his 
home until the day of his death, when past eighty- 
three. His wife survived him, and died at about 
the same age. Traditions linger in the family 
about her determined character and stout cour- 
age. It is said that she once seized an axe, en- 
tered a pig-stye, and drove away a marauding 
bear to save the family pork from his savage 
clutches. The grandparents had a family of sev- 
en children, bearing tlie names of Jane, Christina, 
Magdelena, Isaac, Gertrude, Tunis and Abram C. 
The father was reared a farmer, and remained 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



209 



on the home place until 1861, when he moved to 
another farm, where he died in 1878, at the age 
of seventy years. His wife died in 1852, leaving 
six children. Anna J. married Miner WyckofF, 
and now resides in the village of Lodi; oiir sub- 
ject was the second child; Ophelia married Jerome 
C. Richmond, and makes her home in Jackson, 
Mich.; Eliza E. became the wife of John J. Long, 
and has her home in Leslie, Mich. ; Rachel Mary 
married Scott Swarthout, and is now in Lodi. 
Abram C. Brokaw was married a second time, 
Mrs. Mary Ann Bramble becoming his wife. She 
was the mother of one child, a daughter, Chris- 
tiana, who is Mrs. Knight M. Chrysler, of North 
Hector. 

Mr. Brokaw, our subject, was reared a farmer, 
and was educated in the district schools. March 
21, 1861, he was married to Cornelia E., a daugh- 
ter of Joshua B. Covert, and a native of Monroe 
County. Since their marriage our subject and 
his wife have lived on the old homestead, where 
he was born. Here they have eighty-five acres 
of land, which, by careful tilling, have yielded a 
generous support. Since 1859 Mr. Brokaw has 
dealt in wagons, carriages and sleighs, and has 
also conducted a repair-shop, which has been a 
great convenience to the neighborhood. Our 
subject and his wife are the parents of three chil- 
dren. Miner C. married Virginia Dimmick; 
Mar\- E. is the wife of Thomas B. Freestone, of 
Lodi; and Abram C. is at home. Politically Mr. 
Brokaw was formerly independent in his think- 
ing and voting, but of late years has affiliated 
with the Prohibitionist party, feeling that it is 
striking at the giant evil and crime of the ages, 
and hence deserves the assistance and co-opera- 
tion of all good and true men. He is a member 
of the Reformed Church, and of the Royal Ar- 
canum, and has long been a moral force in the 
community. His fellow-townsmen have more 
than once recognized his worth by electing him 
to important public positions. 

The Brokaws are of French origin, Burgone 
Brokaw having been exiled from France. A man 
of broad views in political affairs, he came to this 
country among the French Huguenots, and be- 
came the ancestor of all the Brokaws in the 



United vStates. As the family history is traced 
down through the various generations, the name 
takes curious form and .spelling, but it is always 
the same in meaning. It appears as Brocaw, 
Brocas, Brogaw, Broca, Burkaw, and in other 
forms, and affords an interesting illustration of 
the proneness of even distinguished family names 
to vary in form and .spelling through successive 
generations. 




'OM FILLINGHAM, of Waterloo, dealer in 
groceries, crockery and Yankee notions, and 
the proprietor of the Waterloo Greenhouse, 
is one of the substantial contributions that Old 
England has made to the prosperity of central 
New York. He was born in the West Riding of 
Yorkshire, England, in 1S20, the son of Charles 
and Ann (Hirst) Fillingham, the former of whom 
was engaged in the manufacture of woolen 
goods. England uot preseiUing a satisfacton,- 
field for his business activities, the senior Mr. 
Fillingham came to the United States in 1841, 
landing at New York, and coming at once to 
Waterloo. Here he found employment in the 
Waterloo Woolen Mills, and was engaged in the 
sorting department for many years, or until i860, 
when he returned to England, where he died a 
few years later. His wife, who had accompanied 
him, survived him a few years. 

Mr. Fillingham, the .subject of this article, re- 
ceived his education in the English common 
schools, and when he was ready to take up the 
burdens of life, or when about fifteen years of age, 
began working in his father's woolen-mills in 
Murfield, Yorkshire, the firm consisting of his 
father, two brothers and an uncle. Here he re- 
mained until he sailed to the United States, com- 
ing immediately to Waterloo, where he found em- 
ploj-ment in the familiar woolen business. From 
1847 to the present time he has been active in 



2IO 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



different capacities about the mills, and for manj- 
3-ears has had especial charge of the weaving de- 
partment. In 1861 he opened a store, which is 
in charge of his son Viner, and has also been in- 
terested in various other mercantile investments. 
In 1843 Mr. Fillingham married Mi.ss Hannah 
Viner, a resident of Auburn, N. Y. She was 
born in Yorkshire, England, and was the daugh- 
ter of George Viner. To our subject and wife 
.seven children were born, all of whom are living. 
Viner, the eldest, is in charge of the store, and 
the other children are named Emily, William, 
Mary, Edward, John Charles and Allen. Our 
subject served one term as Village Trustee, and 



while he has not been prominent in politics, has 
been a highly respected member of the commu- 
nity. Religiously he is a member of the Epis- 
copal Church, while until her death his wife 
found her home in the Methodist Episcopal 
Churcli. In 1S92 his wife died, leaving him 
alone but for the faithful love of his children. 

Mr. Fillingham is a good example of what 
perseverance, economy and persistence can do for 
a man. He began life in meager circumstances, 
but by attending strictly to business and making 
himself indispensable to his employers, he accu- 
mulated a very good property for old age, and is 
now in comfortable circumstances. 





MRS. ROHKRT I5R1.I.. 




ROBERT BELL, M. D. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



215 




■5"::S^li^' 



ROBERT BELL, M. D. The distinguished 
gentleman whose name opens this notice is 
recognized as one of the most prominent 
physicians and skilled surgeons of Schuyler 
Count}-. It was not long after locating here, in 
1845, before he had established a lucrative prac- 
tice and gained the respect and confidence of the 
people, who reposed the greatest trust in his 
ability and .skill. Dr. Bell has made his home 
in Monterey since the above date, with the ex- 
ception of about eight months, when he lived in 
Elmira. 

Our subject was born across the seas, in Bel- 
fast, Ireland, August 24, 1815, and passed the 
first eleven years of his life in his native land, 
attending the common schools when old enough. 
When his parents, William and Elizabeth (Gra- 
ham) Bell, emigrated to America, he accompanied 
them hither. They spent the first few months 
on American soil in Newburgh, Orange County, 
whence they afterward removed to Matteawan. 
William Bell was a weaver of fine linens in his 
native land, but after making his home in Ameri- 
ca ' icated on a farm and engaged in its cultiva- 
tion. 

Robert was employed in a cotton factory in 
Matteawan for some two or three years, after 
which he attended .school at Fishkill. After 
taking a tour.se of .several months there, he went 
with his parents to Elmira (then called Newton), 
Chemung County. The journey was made in a 
6 



wagon, the object being to keep on the lookout 
for a good farm. They were given mucli advice 
by people on the way as to which community was 
the best, and finally, about 1S29, they located 
at Mead's Creek, living there for several months. 
Their next removal found them in what is now 
known as Hornby, Orange Town, where the 
father purchased property. Later he disposed of 
this and purchased a tract within two and one- 
half miles of Monterey. This place was im- 
proved under his direction, and liere the parents 
lived until their death, the mother passing away 
April 17, 1849, when in her seventy-third year, 
and the father dying in 1873, when eighty-seven 
years old. 

To William and Elizabeth Bell there was born 
a family of si.x children, of whom four lived to 
mature years. Of these, Mary became the wife 
of Thomas Boyes, who died in the town of 
Orange. Eliza first married James Boyes, and 
after his death became the wife of James Criddle. 
She is now decea.sed, passing away near Belleville, 
Kan. John was a farmer and .stock-dealer, and 
died in the town of Orange. 

The subject of this .sketch continued to reside 
with his parents until the summer of 1840. In 
the mean time he was sent to attend a .select 
school at Havana, undei the charge of Prof. 
Artemus I"*ay. He later became a student in a 
.select school taught b\- Prof Gillelt, of Peach 
Orchard, Tompkins County, antl he was gradu- 



2l6 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ated in due time. Being desirous of beginning 
the study of medicine, in the year above named he 
began reading with Dr.Nelson Winton, of Havana, 
remaining in his oiHce for a period of five years. 
During that time he attended lectures at Geneva 
Medical College, from which institution he was 
graduated January 20, 1845, with the degree of 
Doctor of Medicine. Among his classmates was 
Dr. George W. Pratt, of Corning, now editor of 
the Corning /oitrna/. 

Dr. Bell first went to Seneca County, and was 
as.sociated with Dr. Oakly, of LaFayette. Some- 
time thereafter, when on a visit home, his mother 
was taken ver}- ill, and for this reason, as well as 
on account of other circumstances which arose, 
he decided not to return to Seneca County, and 
located in Monterey. This was in the .spring of 
1845, and Dr. Bell has made this place his home 
ever since, with the exception, as stated above, 
of the few months spent in Elmira. He removed 
to that city in 1878. and, opening an office, be- 
gan the practice of his profession, but his wife 
becoming very ill, he deemed it best to return to 
Monterey, where he has erected a beautiful dwell- 
ing. Dr. and Mrs. Bell have traveled through 
the States quite extensively, and are so situated, 
financially, that they can take life easy. 

The lady to whom Dr. Bell was married in the 
town of Orange, May 17, 1849, was Miss Harriet 
M. Harring, whose birth occurred in the town of 
Starkey, Yates County, April 28, 1821. Her 
parents were Garrett and Phebe (Howe) Harring, 
the former a native of Hoboken and the latter of 
Clyde, Cayuga County, this state. They spent 
some time in the above county after their mar- 
riage, after which they moved to Starkey, Yates 
County, and from there to Steuben County. 
There Mr. Harring was engaged as a lumber 
merchant, making a snug sum ol money. He 
later took up his abode in the town of Orange, 
this county, where he died February 7, 1854. 
His wife survived him several years, passing 
away April 28, 1871. To them were born ten 
children, namely; Cornelius, Polly, William, 
Isaac, Anna B., Keziah, Deborah, Clarissa, 
Chauncy and Harriet. Of this family, all are 
deceased with the exception of Mrs. Bell. 



The Doctor and his wife have never been 
blessed with children. Socially he is a member 
of the Steuben County Medical Society, and 
during its existence was a member of the Schuyler 
County Medical Society. In his younger years 
he took quite an active part in political affairs. 
In addition to the income derived from his large 
practice, he is the owner of a tract of four hun- 
dred acres of land, about three hundred acres of 
which adjoin the village of Monterey. He also 
owns forty-two and a- half acres in the town of 
Orange, a few miles north of his residence: fifty 
acres in the town of Dix, near W'atkins; besides 
vahfable residence property in Elmira, Dundee 
and elsewhere. He has been remarkably success- 
ful in life, notwithstanding many heav\- los.ses 
su.stained during his professional career. Not 
only has the Doctor gained success in this world's 
goods, but it can be said of him that very few 
professional men have ever succeeded in saving 
so large a percentage of patients as he: many, 
apparenth' beyond all hope of recovery, have 
been restored to health and strength by his 
.skill and assiduous attention. Both he and his 
wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, 
with which the latter has been connected since 
nineteen years of age. 



^ 



k?? — + — n 



REV. JOSEPH H. COOK. Prominent among 
the citizens whom Seneca County delights 
to honor .stands Rev. Mr. Cook, the beloved 
pastor of the First Wesleyan Methodist Church 
of\'arick, which kas a handsome place of wor- 
ship. Our .subject was born in Salem, Washte- 
naw County, Mich., June 29, 1837, and is the 
only child of Edward William Cook, M. D., of 
Vermont, and Phileiia Fellows, a native of Con- 
necticut. 

In 1834 the parents went to Michigan to aid in 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



217 



carving out tlie western empire, and tliere Dr. 
Cook healed the sick and cultivated a farm until 
he died. Shortly after that sad event, in 1855, 
Mrs. Cook moved to Xew York, accompanied by 
her son, who had hitherto learned more from na- 
ture's books than j)rinted volumes, educational 
facilities being very limited in Michigan at that 
time. The ensuing four years he spent in ac- 
quiring an education, two years at Canandaigua 
Academy and two years in Greene County. 
Having satisfied the demands of his brain, he 
yielded to the dictates of his heart, and in Feb- 
ruary, i860, married Abigail Lincoln, of Ontario 
County. In that county he resided for fourteen 
years, cultivating the soil in the summer time and 
teaching school during the winter, in the mean 
time fitting him.self for the ministry, which he felt 
it his duty to enter. 

After years of .studious and prayerful prepara- 
tion, during the la.st six of which he often con- 
ducted services in the ab.sence of an ordained 
minister, our subject was ordained, in 1874, at 
the Rochester Conference of the Wesleyan Meth- 
odist Church held at Farmington, N. Y. He 
was first assigned to South Bristol, where he re- 
mained until 1877, and the next four years he 
.spent at Haskinville, Steuben County. There he 
had a very large district to cover, and did it 
greatly to the satisfaction of the conference. His 
next field was Farmington, whence after a year 
of successful work he came to Varick, in 1882. 
For six years thereafter he preached the W'ord to 
the people here, and in 1888 purchased a farm of 
twentj'-.seven acres, to which he retired in that 
year. 

In 1894 Rev. Mr. Cook was again called to 
minister to the spiritual wants of the people of 
Varick, and is their esteemed pastor to-day. In 
church circles he is greatly honored, being vSec- 
retary of the Rochester Conference, a post which 
he has held for twenty years, the longest incum- 
bency on record. On two occasions he has rep- 
resented the Rochester Conference at the general 
conference, once at Pittsford, Mich., and again 
at La Otto, Ind. He is also .Secretary of the Mis- 
sionary Board of the Rochester Conference. 

In politics Rev. Mr. Cook is a Prohibitionist, 



Chairman of the organization of that party in 
this town. Two children have blessed the union 
of Rev. and Mrs. Cook, a .son and daughter, 
Edward L. and Edith K. 



ISL 



(@r 



l | l l | l l | l ■ ! » t f l « ^ > « | > 1 ^ 1 ■^^«^«^»{t»j«»jl B^l 



HORACE C. SILSBY, the well known man- 
ufacturer of the Sil.sby Fire Engines at 
Seneca f-alls, was born in Sheffield, Conn., 
on the 3d of May, 1817, and is a son of Seth 
and Betsy K. ( Cady ) Silsby, the former be- 
ing a native of New Hampshire. The ances- 
try of our subject can be traced back to Henry 
Silsb\-, who was born in London, England, in 
1608, and who emigrated to America in 1670. 
He died in Lynn, Mass., in 1700. Betsy Cady, 
the mother of our subject, was a daughter of 
James Cady, and her death occurred in Monroe 
County, N. Y., in 1840. 

The subject of this sketch is the sixth in a 
family of nine children, only three of whom are 
now living. His boyhood days were pas.sed in 
the village of Mendon, Monroe County, N. Y., 
to which place his parents had removed. He at- 
tended the village .school there until fourteen 
years of age, when he commenced clerking in a 
store at Palmyra. He afterward went to Pitts- 
ford, in the same county, and later to Honeoye 
Falls, where he engaged in the same business. 
In 1836 he came to Seneca Falls, where he en- 
gaged in the manufacture of chopping axes and 
mill picks, in company with his brother, William 
C. Silsby, and his brother- in-law, William Wheel- 
er. After following this business until 1840, he 
sold his interest and engaged in the dry-goods 
business, and later in the hardware trade, in 
which he continued until 1843, when he began 
the manufacture of pumps and stove castings, 
doing a large and successful business until 1856, 
at which time, in coinicction with his other lines 



2l8 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of business, he commenced experimenting in the 
manufacture of fire engines. In that year he 
completed his first engine, which, when tested, 
proved all that was claimed for it. He then be- 
gan the manufacture of the Holly Rotary En- 
gine and the Holly Rotary Pump. Mr. Holly 
was the inventor, but they became the prop- 
erty- of the Silsby Manufacturing Company. 

The works of this company are known in the vil- 
lage as the Island Works, being situated on the 
island and covering about five acres. The plant 
includes twenty-two buildings, constructed of 
brick, with metal and slate roofs. The works 
were established in 1845, but it was not until 
1856 that the rotary engine was manufactured 
and presented to the public. Mr. Silsby was a 
pioneer in the United States in the manufact- 
ure of steam fire engines, and was the first to 
produce a practical and successful one. The 
business of the company has practically been un- 
der one management for about forty years, and 
in more than half the villages of more than ten 
thousand inhabitants which have steam fire en- 
gines the Silsbj- is used. Our subject was con- 
nected with the business until 1889, when he 
turned it over to his sons and retired. The pres- 
ent companj' was incorporated, in 1891, as the 
American Fire Engine Company. This is a con- 
solidation of the Silsby Company and three other 
companies. They now operate two plants — one 
at Seneca Falls and the other at Cincinnati, Ohio. 
The capital stock is $600,000, and the animal 
product exceeds that of all other fire-engine man- 
ufactories combined. In addition to steam fire 
engines, the company manufacture hose carriages 
and carts, fire pumps and fire-department sup- 
plies. Their trade is very large throughout the 
United States, and also extends into Mexico and 
Central and South America. 

In 1839 Mr. Silsby was united in marriage with 
Miss Phoebe M. Burt, of Mendon, N. Y., a 
daughter of Festus Burt. By this union nine 
children were born. Those living are: Horace, 
General Manager of the American Fire Engine 
Company; Charles T., Treasurer; and William 
vS., Secretary. All are well known and promi- 
nent residents of Seneca Falls. 



In politics Mr. Silsby is a Democrat, but has 
never been very active, as his business required 
his undivided attention, though he .served four 
years as Trustee of the village and two years as 
Supervisor. He is a regular attendant at the 
Presbyterian Church, to which he has contributed 
liberally, and of which he served as a Tnistee for 
a number of years. Mrs. Silsby, who died in 
March, 1893, in her seventy-fifth j-ear, was a 
consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, 
and was always happy in carrying on the Master's 
work. For nearly sixtj- years Mr. Silsby has 
been a citizen of Seneca Falls, and it goes with- 
out question that he has done more than any 
one man in building up the industries of the 
place. Throughout the entire country Seneca 
Falls is known as the place in which the Silsbj' 
Fire Engines are manufactured, and its reputation 
as a village has been largelj- acquired from that 
fact. The honors heaped tipon Mr. Silsby are 
worthilv bestowed. 



•*->^^ 



"^^fe-^ 



i^^ 



^-H 



H-*- 



REV. JAMES O'CONNOR, pa.stor of St. Pat- 
rick's Catholic Church at Seneca Falls, was 
born in the town of Wheatland, Monroe 
Countj', N. Y., April 8, 1844, and is a son of 
John and Wiiuiifred (Dooley) O'Connor, both of 
whom were natives of Ireland, but who emigrated 
to the United States at an early day. At first 
they located in New York City, afterward re- 
moved to Rochester, and later settled in the vil- 
lage of Scottsville, in the town of Wheatland, 
where the father died in 1855, at the age of forty 
years. The mother survived him until 1879, and 
at her death was sixty-seven years of age. They 
were the parents of nine children, five sons and 
four daughters, our subject being fifth in order 
of birth. His education was obtained in the dis- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



219 



trict schools, and in Niagara University, from 
which he was graduated in 1S67. The same 
year he was ordained priest by Bishop Timon, of 
BulTalo, N. Y. His first charge was at St. 
Mary's Church at Rochester, where he was assist- 
ant pastor, and lie was later pastor of the church 
at Weedsport for one \-ear. He was then trans- 
ferred to the village of Ovid, in Seneca County, 
where he remained six and a-half years, and from 
that place went to St. Bridget's Church, at 
Rochester, remaining fifteen years. In 1891 he 
came to Seneca Falls as pastor of St. Patrick's 
Catholic Church, which is the largest congrega- 
tion in the county, there being at lea.st two thou- 
sand four hvuidred souls in the parish. In con- 
nection with the church there is a parochial school, 
taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, which has an 
attendance of four hundred and thirt}- scholars. 
Since being ordained to the priesthood, Father 
O'Connor has been very successful, as~is attested 
b_\- his long service here. He is a man calculated 
to win the love and esteem of his parishioners, 
who go to him without fear for counsel. He has 
always been interested in the cause of temperance. 



— »5-t. 




v<».- 



SKORGE \V. McNEMER. Among the rep- 
resentative, thorough-going and trustworthy 
officials of Schuyler County, there is proba- 
bly no one more deserving of mention than Mr. 
McNemer, who holds the responsible office of 
Supervisor of the town of Reading. Although 
retiring and unpretentious in manner, he has al- 
ways been a strong factor in the community. As 
he has always been honorable and upright in all 
his relations with l^he public, they have the satis- 
faction of knowing that their confidence in him 
is not misplaced. 

Mr. McNemer is the son of Mathew McNemer, 
whose birth occurred in Ireland in June, 1826. 



His mother, prior to her marriage Lettie Ann 
Jackson, was a native of Westchester County, 
N. Y., and was born in 1827. After their mar- 
riage they located in North Salem, tliat county, 
and after various removals we find them in Bir- 
mingham, Conn., where Mrs. McNemer died in 
1862. The father now makes his home in Som- 
ers, this state. The parental household included 
two children, of whom our subject was the elder. 
His brother, Charles J , is a resident of New 
York City. 

George W. McNemer was born in North Salem, 
Westchester County, May 29, 1S50. He re- 
mained under the parental roof until the death of 
his mother, when, the household being broken 
up, he was thrown on his own resources, and al- 
though only a lad of twelve years was obliged 
to look out for himself. Two years previous to 
this time, however, he had worked in a factor}', 
but when deprived of his mother's care found 
employment on a farm near Huntington, Conn. 
There he remained until 1866, when he came to 
Schuj-ler County, this state, where he was also 
employed to work out on farms bj' the month. 
This state of affairs continued until the fall of 
1868, when, ambitious of securing a better edu- 
cation, and having saved S365 of his earnings, he 
entered Starkey Seminary, in Yates County. 
After conducting his studies there for two years, 
he worked at the carpenter's trade during the 
summer months and taught school in the winter 
season for the succeeding four years. 

Mr. McNemer was married about this time, 
and engaged in cultivating property, which he 
rented. It was not until five years thereafter that 
he was enabled to purchase land of his own, but 
at the end of that time invested his earnings in 
the farm on which he was residing. He was very 
prosperous in every undertaking, and from time 
to time added to his place until now his farm in- 
cludes one hundred and sixty-five excellently cul- 
tivated acres. 

Mr. McNemer was married in Reading, Sep- 
tember 9, 1874, to Miss Lillie M. Sutton, daugh- 
ter of Carlos H. and Maria ( Eggle.ston) Sutton, 
both old and honored residents of this conniui- 
nity. Mr. and Mrs Sutton became the parents 



220 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of two children, Lillie M. and Harn- E. Mrs. 
McNenier was born in Reading December 23, 
1853, and was well educated in the schools near 
her home. Our subject and his wife have one 
daughter, Grace, who is now fourteen years old. 

In February, 1S93, our subject was elected 
upon the Democratic ticket to his present posi- 
tion, that of Supervisor. He has also been Jus- 
tice of the Peace, and for two years was Road 
Commissioner. It is impossible to mention all the 
services rendered the community by Mr. McNe- 
mer; suffice it to say, therefore, that his good 
name is above reproach and that he has won the 
confidence, respect and esteem of all who know 
him, and is one of the mo.st popular men who 
have held official positions in the county. 

Mrs. McNemer is a member of the First Bap- 
tist Church of Reading, and although not con- 
nected by membenship with this denomination, 
her hu.sband is Chairman of the Board of Trus- 
tees and gives liberally toward the support of the 
church. He is likewise Chairman of the Board 
of Supervi.sors, is one of the Trustees of Starkey 
Seminary,' and is President of Reading Farm- 
ers' Alliance No. 681. In addition to his farm- 
ing interests, for the past six years he has been 
engaged in the hay and grain business in Read- 
ing with Messrs. I. E. Overton and F. A. Smith, 
the firm name being Overton & Co. 




EHARLES C. HOWARD, now residing in 
the village of Alpine, is a well known citi- 
zen of Schuyler County. He was born in 
Candor, Tioga County, N. Y., March 22, 1.S37, 
and is a son of Charles C. and Laura (Phelps) 
Howard, the former a native of Tompkins Coun- 
ty, N. v., and the latter of X'ermont. Our sub- 
ject grew to manhood in his native county and 
received a common-school education. October 
22, 1862, he was married to Margaret A. Snyder, 



who was born in the town of Catharine, Schuyler 
County, and who was a daughter of William and 
Electa (Rumsey) Snyder. Her father was an 
early settler of this county and was well and fa- 
vorably known, especially in religious circles, 
being an active member of the Methodist Epi.sco- 
pal Church. He died August 4, 1862, at the age 
of forty-six years. 

After the death of Mr. Snyder, our subject 
took control of the farm, which he soon afterward 
purchased. It then contained sixty -six acres, 
but he has since added thirty-four acres to it, 
making a good farm of one hundred acres, and 
here he made his home until 1893. One year 
prior to this, in company with his son-in-law, 
Mr. Howard established his present business in 
Alpine. The firm is engaged in the buying and 
shipping of stock, to which Mr. Howard gives his 
special attention, and in which he has been per- 
sonally engaged for many years. It is likewise 
engaged in buying and shipping grain and prod- 
uce of all kinds, and al.so handles coal and agri- 
cultural implements. In 1893 ^^- Howard pur- 
cha.sed his present residence and removed to 
Alpine. He still retains his farm, on which he 
keeps a tenant to care for the .stock, as he makes 
a specialtx- of buying and feeding the same for 
the market. The first shipment of stock from 
this .section over the Lehigh Valley Railroad was 
made by Mr. Howard. The Lehigh \'alley Rail- 
road built a switch to accommodate the trade of 
Howard & Savercool, with the understanding that 
five thousand tons per \ear should be .shipped 
from the station. . The first year the .shipments 
of the firm were more than three times that 
amount, and the railroad company has no rea.son 
to regret its investment. 

In politics our subject is a stanch Republican, 
and cast his first Presidential vote for Lincoln. 
He has since continued to act with that party, be- 
lieving its principles more in accord with the best 
interests of the people tiian that of any other 
party. While he cares nothing for official posi- 
tion, he has yet filled a number of local offices to 
the satisfaction of his friends and con.stitnents. 
He and his wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church at Odessa, in the work of which 



« 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



they are active, and for years he has been Class- 
Leader and .Steward. Thev are the parents of 
one child, Emma M., now the wife of F. N. Sav- 
ercool, who is Mr. Howard's partner in the busi- 
iness at Alpine. 

F. N. Savercool was born in Newfield, Tomp- 
kins County, X. v., in iS6i, and is a son of 
Uriah and Hannah (Thomas) Savercool, the for- 
mer a retired and wealthy farmer of Tompkins 
County. One child has been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Savercool, Edna. In business Mr. Saver- 
cool has shown himself enterprising and success- 
ful, and to him is due much of the success of the 
firm. 






HENRY L. KINNE. Atnong the pioneers 
and early settlers of Seneca County, Henr}' 
L. Kinne was always conspicuous and hon- 
ored. He was born in the town of Ovid, Decem- 
ber 14, 1808, and his father, Elijah, was born in 
Dutchess Coutity. The latter, who was the first 
American to locate his family betvveen Seneca 
and Cayuga Lakes, purchased a large tract of 
land near Ovid. He kept a hotel, which was 
noted all through that country for the excellence 
of its larder and the hospitality of its landlord. 
Besides this he carried on farming quite exten- 
sively, and upon this place that he had opened 
from a wilderness he died, leaving his large fam- 
ily well provided for. In central New York he 
was one of the strong and .striking figures of the 
early days. He was twice married, Miss Leak 
becoming his second wife. 

Mr. Kinne, the subject of this .sketch, was mar- 
ried. May 24, 1834, to Miss Mary Marsh, and they 
liad a family of six children. Cyrus, now in 
Newark, N. J., is in the railroad service in that 
city; Phebe M., who has been a teacher of this 
town for many years, is very successful in her call- 
ing, and is highly appreciated in her own district, 



where she has taught for six terms; Daniel M., 
who at the present time has charge of the farm, 
has been Assessor of the town, and has also 
served as Road Commi.s.sioner; John S. is akso a 
farmer in this town; and Anne E. became the 
wife of Dr. Deni.ston, of Ovid, and died in 1876. 
There was another daughter, but she died in in- 
fancy. 

Mr. Kiinie moved onto this farm in 1829, and 
carried it on with vigor and success until the day 
of his death, December 4, 1S64. By his thrift and 
economy he had acquired an estate of over two 
hundred acres, besides considerable ready money. 
His wife survives him, and is now in her eighty- 
sixth year. She was six years old when she was 
brought to this county, and her memory goes 
back to the time when it was all a wilderness, 
and Waterloo and Seneca Falls were insignificant 
hamlets. 



->-»■ 



..^1^.^ 



->•-»-»- 



M^ 



■*"*-"(- 



<ySAAC G. GREGORY is one of the younger 
I business men of the village of Waterloo, and 
X exerts much influence in its commercial and 
social development. . He is of English origin, but 
has thoroughly harmonized him.self with the con- 
ditions of modern American life, .so that it would 
be hard for a stranger to detect anything indi- 
cating that he was not "to the manner born." 
His parents, Henry and Jane (Laney) Gregory, 
were married in Banwell, .Somersetshire, Eng- 
land, where our subject was born in July, 1850. 
Their married life, however, was brief, as the fa- 
ther died while Isaac was less than three years 
old. The mother, hearing of the po.ssibilities of 
the New World, gathered her little family to- 
gether, and in the winter of 1854 sailed for New 
York City. Landing on these unfamiliar shores 
on the I St of the following January, she came di- 



222 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



rect to Waterloo, where she permanently located. 
She has now reached the venerable age of eighty- 
two years, yet does not find them full of weari- 
ness and trouble. Her two daughters, Mary and 
Hester, are close at hand, while her eldest son, 
Henry Gregory, is established upon a large farm 
in Pettis Count)-, Mo., where he is extensiveh- 
engaged in general farming and fruit-raising. 

The boy Isaac received his education in the 
public schools of Waterloo, and finished his school 
days at that institution which has turned out so 
many strong and successful business men into 
the world during the last half-century — the Wa- 
terloo Union School. In 1866 he passed through 
his first experiences in the great mercantile world 
in his mother's grocery store. When he had 
mastered the details of the business, he exhibited 
a decided genius for its successful administration, 
and was put in full charge of the business, his 
mother retiring to enjoy a well earned rest. Un- 
der his control it has grown to large proportions, 
and he now carries a full line of dry goods, gro- 
ceries, provisions and canned goods. He owns 



the building in which this business is carried on, 
and has saved enough to warrant the erection of 
several dwelling-houses in different quarters of 
the \illage, which rent for a good figure. Al- 
together, he may be .said to be one of the solid 
men of the community, aud as such is generally 
recognized. 

In 1875 Miss Sarah A., youngest daughter of 
the late John Bisdee, of Waterloo, became our 
subject's wife, anil lived with him nineteen years, 
dying March 14, 1894, leaving four children, 
Keith Sunnier, Paul, Mildred Alice and Henry 
Raymond. Her name is a tender memory with 
husband, children and friends. 

Mr. Gregory has worked and voted with the 
Republican party, aud by it has been honored, 
having .served two terms as Milage Trustee, and 
in part}- affairs has served on important connnit- 
tees. He is a member of and has an active inter- 
est in the Knights of Pythias. Religiously he 
follows the bent of early associations and more 
mature convictions, and is a member of St. Paul's 
Episcopal Church. 







JOHN J VAN ALLEN. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



225 




^(^^>^i,C^^ 




-^^^s^;^ 



30HN J. VAN ALLEN. The life of this well 
known attorney of Watkins has been one of 
untiring effort, unaided by any of the ad- 
vantages that tend so materiall}' to help young 
men. To him belongs the distinction of being 
not only one of the oldest attorneys of Scliuyler 
County, but also the oldest lawyer now living in 
the county seat. The knowledge acquired by an 
academical education in youth he has supple- 
mented by constant reading, that makes him one 
of the best informed men on general subjects in 
his communit}-. 

In the town of Birdsall, Allegany County, 
N. Y., the subject of this sketch was born Sep- 
tember 22, 1826. The grandfather, Peter Van 
Allen, was a native of Kinderhook, Columbia 
County, N. Y., his ancestors coming from Hol- 
land. They were among the first Dutch settlers 
of New York, emigrating about 1620. The fa- 
ther, John P., was also born in Kinderhook, Co- 
lumbia County, Februarj- i, 1794, and was reared 
to manhood on a farm. His marriage united him 
with Elizabeth Cooper, a native of Schodack, 
Rensselaer County, N. Y., and daughter of John 
Cooper, who removed from Rensselaer to Cayuga 
County, .settling near the village of Cato. 

The parental family consisted of four sons and 
four daughters, of whom four are still living, 
John J. being the third of the number. His boy- 
hood days were pa.s.sed at Angelica, Allegany 
County, wliere he was a student in the district 



schools and the academy. Later he carried on 
his studies in the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at 
Lima, N. Y. For five years he clerked in stores 
at Angelica, Waterloo and Seneca Falls. On 
completing his literary studies, he began to read 
law with Diven, Hathaway & Woods, at Elmira, 
and in July, 1851, was admitted to practice at the 
Bar in Cooperstown, Otsego Count\-, at the gen- 
eral term of the Supreme Court. 

Immediately afterward Mr. \'an Allen came to 
Watkins, and commenced a general law practice, 
to which the succeeding years have been devoted. 
Having practiced forty-four years in the county, 
he is, as above stated, the oldest member of the 
Schuyler County Bar. In January, 1856, he was 
admitted to the Supreme Court of the United 
States at Washington, D. C, and practices in 
state and federal courts. 

The political views of Mr. \'an Allen are of a 
positive character; he is a Democrat of the Jeffer- 
sonian school, and he has been intimately identi- 
fied with the history of that party for forty years 
or more. On different occasions he has been a 
delegate to national and state conventions, in 
which he has taken an active part, discharging 
his duties in a praiseworthy manner. During the 
campaign of Horace Greeley, Mr. Van Allen did 
not favor him for President, and with other mem- 
bers of the party he issued a circular letter to 
prominent Democrats throughout the country, 
urging that a Democratic candidate be placed in 



226 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAIv RECORD. 



the field in opposition to Greeley. The result 
was that a convention met at Louisville, Ky., 
September 3, 1872, when Charles O'Conor was 
nominated for President and John Quincy Adams 
for \'ice-President. The former, however, de- 
clined the nomination. 

June 21, 1852, Mr. \'an Allen married Miss 
Sophia L. Downer, daughter of Joseph G. Dow- 
ner, an old resident of Auburn, N. Y. She died 
February 15, 1S74, leaving four children, namely: 
Charlotte L., wife of L. Comstock, of Oxford, 
Chenango County, N. Y. ; Washington Irving, 
an attorney residing at Mt. Morris, N. Y.; Altia, 
who is married and lives in Detroit, Mich.; and 
Margaretta. who is at home. The present wife 
of Mr. \'an Allen, with whom he was united Feb- 
ruary 23, 1875, was Miss Anna Augusta Bennett, 
of Norwich, Chenango County, N. Y. Socially 
our subject is connected with Jefferson Lodge No. 
326, F. & A. M., at Watkins. A generous, kind- 
hearted man, he gives of his means to all worthy 
objects, especially those calculated to promote 
the general welfare, and to the needy his aid is 
alvva3S cheerfullj- extended. 






GlRTHUR C. WOODWARD. As one of the 
LI leading Republicans of Schuyler County, 
I I Mr. Woodward is well known throughout 
the state. For some years he has made his home 
in Watkins, and in the public affairs of this vil- 
lage he has been an important factor. For six 
years he was Depiitj- County Clerk, and for fif- 
teen consecutive years officiated in the capacity of 
Clerk of the county, which responsible jTOsition 
he filled with such efficiency as to win not only 
the commendation of tho,se of his own political 
belief, but also the approval of his political op- 
ponents. 

In the town of Hector, now a part of Schuyler 



County (but then incorporated in Tompkins) , the 
subject of this notice was born October 10, 1S47. 
His father, Capt. John Woodward, was born in 
Devonshire, England, and came to America at 
the age of fourteen years, settling in the town of 
Hector, where he afterward married Miss Mar\' 
Peck. This ladj-, who was a native of Hector, 
was born in 1816, and died in 1864. A highly 
successful farmer, Mr. Woodward was also a pub- 
lic-spirited citizen, and served twice in the posi- 
tion of Supervisor. He was recognized as a man 
of integrity of character and large ability, and 
his death, August 25, 1865, was mourned as a 
common lo.ss. 

The parental family consisted of six children, 
all living, four sons and two daughters, Arthur 
C. being the next to the youngest. The eldest, 
John H., was a soldier in the army, and served 
as Major on the staff of the commanding General 
of the Army of the Potomac, being under Mac- 
Clellan, Hooker, Burnside, Meade and Grant at 
different times. His home is now in Portland, 
Ore., where he is known as an able lawyer. At 
one time he filled the office of County Judge. 
Benjamin W. was elected Judge of Schuyler 
County at the age of twenty-eight. Afterward 
he removed to Brooklyn, where he now has a 
large law practice. Charles M. is a physician and 
surgeon at Tecumseh, Mich. The elder daugh- 
ter, Harriet, graduated from the Syracuse Medi- 
cal College in 1873. and has since practiced in 
Albany, N. Y. Mary L. married O. H. Budd, 
of the town of Hector, who was Supervisor in 
the years 1894 and 1895, and in the fall of 1895 
was elected as the Republican candidate to the 
Legislature. 

The education of our subject was obtained 
principally at the Peach Orchard .school. He 
remained on the farm until he was twenty-five 
years old, when he was appointed Deputy to 
County Clerk Edward Kendall. He was with 
that gentleman three years, and for the .same 
length of time was with his successor, Myron 
H. Weaver. In the fall of 1878 he was elected 
County Clerk by a majority of sixteen hundred 
and seventy-nine, and three years later was re- 
elected. The third time he was elected without 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



227 



opposition from tlie Democratic party. Five 
times he wa.s elected to the office, serving fifteen 
years altogether. Agriculture is his principal 
occupation at the present time. 

Xo\eniber 20, 1870, Mr. Woodward married 
Miss Emma A., daughter of Alfred and Emeline 
(Warner' Everts. She died in 1878, leaving 
two children, Alfred C. and James H. After- 
ward Mary F., a .sister of his first wife, was 
united with him, but their marriage tie was .sev- 
ered by her death April 5, 1889. March i, 1890, 
Mr. Woodward was united in marriage, at \'er- 
non, Mich., with Miss Laura D. Goss, who died 
January 22, 1895. leaving a son, Arthur Weston. 
His present wife was Ella (Re\nolds) Wager, 
who was united with him October 3, 1S95. In 
1888 Mr. Woodward erected his fine brick resi- 
dence at the corner of Franklin and Eighth 
Streets, which is one of the ornaments of the 
village. He is the owner of valuable property, 
both in Watkins and in the country, and has 
been exceedingly fortunate in business mat- 
ters. 



-^^ 



^ 






ELARENCE D. SMEAD, D. V. S., associate 
editor of the A^atiointl Slocknian, a journal 
which has a wide circulation throughout the 
States, is also a prominent farmer and stock-raiser 
of the town of Hector, Schuyler County', and is 
an extensive breeder of Shropshire sheep. He 
was born in Logan, this county, September 13, 
1843, and is now one of the olde.st residents in 
the place. His parents were Lysander and So- 
phia (Mapes) Smead, the former a native of 
Seneca County, whence he came to this locality 
about 1835. For about eighteen years thereafter 
he was one of the well-to-do and prosperous mer- 
chants of Logan, after which he retired to the 
farm on which the Doctor is now living. The 
tract then embraced eighty acres, but our subject 



has since added to it until il now embraces one 
hundred and thirt\-oiie acres. On this place the 
lather departed this life in March, 1859, at the 
age of filty years. His y>lace was conspicuous 
for the improvements found upon it, and the own- 
er was well known in this vicinitv as a man of 
temperance principles, which he supported both 
by example and precept. 

Our subject's mother was a daughter of Will- 
iam Mapes, a resident of Orange County, where 
she was born. She is still living, making her 
home at East Genoa, Cayuga County, this state, 
and is in her seventy -fourth year. Her only son 
was Clarence D., the original of this sketch. His 
father dying when he was a lad of sixteen years, 
he took charge of the home place, whereon he has 
made his home ever since. 

In February, 1865, occurred the marriage of 
our subject and Miss Hester Smith, the daughter 
of Whitley J. and Olive (Smith) .Smith, promi- 
nent among the old and notable families of the 
state. Mrs. Smead was born in Tioga County, 
and was brought to this section b\- her parents 
when an infant. Her mother died soon afterward 
and she was taken care of by her maternal grand- 
parents. 

Mrs. Sophia Smead, the mother of our subject, 
was a second time married, and on that event sold 
her interest in the home place to her son. Being 
a great lover of horses, and desirous'of informing 
himself regarding their treatment, he entered the 
College of Veterinary Surgery at Philadelphia, 
from which he was graduated in 1S72, with the 
degree of D. V. S. His mother was very much 
disappointed at this turn in affairs, as it was her 
amljition to have him become a minister. His 
father was desirous of making a lawyer of him, 
and when he found that his son was fond of read- 
ing books bearing on the subject of horses, their 
diseases, etc., he forbade the neighbors to lend 
him any. 

It is now over twenty >ears since Dr. Smead 
became a veterinary surgeon. He has practiced 
with good results, becoming well known to the 
horsemen of the .state, and is at present associate 
editor on the staif of the National Stockman, hav- 
ing charge of the veterinary department. He 



228 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



keeps up his studies in this Hue. and is a lecturer 
in the Farmers' Institute. Now, however, his 
practice is mainly of an experimental character 
for college and newspaper use. 

The Doctor has been a breeder of Shropshire 
.sheep for seventeen years, having at the present 
time about one hundred of these animals on his 
place. He has imported many of his finest ani- 
mals, and never fails to carry off the blue rib- 
bons at the various state fairs where they are 
placed on exhibition. Dr. Smead has been for 
the past four years Pre.sident of the Xew York 
State Shropshire Breeders' A.ssociation, and is 
considered authority on all diseases relating to 
this breed of sheep. Although he has on various 
occasions been called upon to fill positions of hon- 
or in colleges in the country, he has always re- 
fused to do so, feeling that he can be of more 
benefit to his fellow-men by remaining on his 
farm, experimenting and making known the re- 
sults through his department in the papers, and 
also in his lectures before the students of the 
Farmers' Institute. He is a stanch supporter of 
Republican principles, and although not a mem- 
ber of any particular church, gives liberally of 
his means to the various denominations in his 
neighborhood. 



l®_ 



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1^ 



61 UGUSTINE S. PARISH. This is the name 
LI of a highly respected and very successful 
/ I farmer in the town of Ovid, and a man 
widely experienced in the affairs of the world. 
He was born in this town, October 27, 1841, a 
son of William F. and Hannah A. (Bailey) Par- 
ish, natives of New Jersey and Orange County, 
N. Y., respectively. His grandfather, Thomas 
Parish, was a native of England, and came to 
this country and settled in Xew Jersey. For his 
first wife be married Eunice Farmer, and re- 



moved to this county about the year 1830. He 
had a large family of children, of whom we men- 
tion the following: John, who was a farmer, lo- 
cated near Chicago. Benjamin made his home in 
Tecumseh, Mich. Peter lives near Eaton Rapids, 
in the same .state. Seneca is a hardware mer- 
chant in Chicago. Isaiah is a painter in Shorts- 
ville. Jacob is in Michigan. Kate married Fer- 
mon Conover, and went to the same state. Mary 
married Seneca Harvey, and died in this state. 
William F. is the youngest child. The grandfa- 
ther's second wife bore him no children. He 
was a farmer by occupation, and spent the last 
years of his life at Waterloo, where he passed the 
full Biblical allowance of fourscore years. In 
the Reformed Church he served as an Elder. 

William F. Parish, the father of our subject, 
was born in 1817, and came to Seneca County 
with his family by wagon. He was a farmer all 
his life, and at his death, February 21, 1892, 
possessed ninet3--six acres. In politics he was a 
Republican, and in religion a member of the 
Presbyterian Church. His wife, who is still liv- 
ing, became the mother of five children, of whom 
our subject is the eldest. Lyman W. is Post- 
master and a merchant at Starkey. William Far- 
mer is a resident of the town of Seneca Falls. 
Mary married Filmore Slack, and died in Ovid, 
leaving no children. Martha is the wife of 
Charles Rice. 

Our subject was reared on the farm, was edu- 
cated at Ovid Academy, and resided at home un- 
til 1862, when he enlisted in Company C, One 
Hundred and Twenty-sixth New York Infantry. 
After ser\-ing one year and participating in the 
battle of Harper's FerPi-, he was discharged on 
account of physical disability and returned home. 
One year later, however, lie was called to Wash- 
ington. D. C, to take a position in the Quarter- 
master's office, and after holding this position 
one year he again came back to his native town. 
Here, in 1867, Su.san, daughter of Leland Fen- 
ner, became his bride. She was born near 
Akron, Erie County, N. Y., May 10, 1846. 
After his marriage Mr. Pari.sh purchased a farm, 
and has continued to cultivate the same to the 
present time. He has been the owner of several 



i 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



229 



valuable places, and now owns sixty-six acres. 
In connection with lliis he carries on a rented 
farm of nearly two hundred and fifty acres. 

Politically Mr. Parish is a Republican. His 
party has put him into several important local 
offices, and he is now serving a term of four years 
as Supervisor. He is an earnest worker in local 
politics, and his word goes a long way in deter- 
mining party affairs. In religious and social 
matters he takes nuich interest, and is a member 
of the Baptist Church, of the order of Patrons of 
Husbandr>', and of the Grand Army of the Re- 
public. For two years Mr. Parish traveled over 
the western regions of this country, and he feels 
that he knows something about the land in 
which he lives, more, perhaps, than many of the 
"globe-trotters" who are constantly busy on the 
other side of the world. He has been honest 
and active, and by his careful economy has ac- 
cumulated all his property. 

Mr. and Mrs. Parish are the parents of four 
sons. George S. is a railroad agent at .Shel- 
drake. Frank A. fills the same position at 
Cayuga. John L. is a telegraph operator; while 
Hiram B. is .still at home. The two eldest boys 
began railroading at the age of sixteen, learning 
operating while working on the farm. 




•<♦— 



BENJAMIN KING, one of the oldest resi- 
dents of Seneca County, has passed his en- 
tire life here, and at the .same time he has 
won the respect and esteem of all his acquaint- 
ances. He was born in the town of Covert, 
where he now lives, February 9, 1813, and is 
therefore eighty-two years of age. | 

Our subject is the son of Tertulhis King, who 
came to this county in company with his father, 
Brazilla King, as early as 1795. The journey 1 



was made overland during the winter from 
Dutche.ss County, N. Y., and jiroved a very tedi- 
ous one to the little party of travelers. Upon lo- 
cating in this county, the grandfather took up six 
hundred acres of uncultivated land, upon which 
he erected a log hou.se, which sheltered the house- 
hold for a great many years. The father of our 
subject was one in a family of seven sons and one 
daughter, all of whom lived to mature years and 
became the heads of families. At the time of his 
death the father was living in this town, and his 
remains were interred in the Trumaiisburg Ceme- 
tery . 

The lady whom Tertullus King married was 
Miss Elizabeth Green. To them were born the 
following children: Mollie, Joseph, Lura and 
Asa, all deceased; Huldali, who died at the age 
of eighty-five years; and Benjamin, of this sketch. 
The latter was fairly well educated, and was thor- 
oughly trained in farm duties. The lady whom he 
chose as his wife and helpmate was Miss Elizabeth 
Edwards, who was born June 9, 1812, in Wilkes 
Barre, Pa. Their union resulted in the birth of 
two children, Mary and Tertullus, the latter of 
whom is a local sur\'eyor in this town, and is 
also engaged in the nur.sery and vineyard busi- 
ness. He married Mi.ss Harriet P. Robin.soii, 
and their seven children are named, respectively: 
Elizabeth E. , Alice C, Homer (deceased), Her- 
bert P., Florence, A.sa C. and Harry. 

Our subject began in life for himself upon at- 
taining his majority, and on the demise of his fa- 
ther formed a partnership with his brother Joseph, 
and together they carried on the home farm for 
several years. Now, however, Mr. King operates 
one hundred and twenty-four acres of this prop- 
erty on his own account, and has met with suc- 
cess in his farming ventures. Although his ad- 
vanced years render it unadvisable for him to en- 
gage in active labor, yet he keeps himself in 
touch with what is going on around him on the 
estate. During his younger years he was a 
worker in the cause of the Repulilican party, al- 
though he was never .said to be a politician, leav- 
ing that to men wlio.se individual interests de- 
manded less time than his own. 

Upon the old homestead stands an apple tree 



230 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



which has been growing for many years, and 
which is known as the old "schoolhouse" apple 
tree, from the fact that the first schoolhouse erect- 
ed in the district was built on that spot. 




«ySAAC La MOREAUX, who is passing the 
I uneventful life of a farmer, is classed among 
X, the well-to-do agriculturists of Seneca Coun- 
ty. His farm is located in a very fertile portion 
of the county, and its surroundings denote the 
owner to be a man of thrift and enterprise. The 
tract comprises one hundred and sixty acres, and 
lies in the town of Lodi. 

Mr. La Moreaux was born on the farm where 
he now lives, February 12, iSi8. His father, 
Daniel La Moreaux, was born in Orange County, 
this state, Augu.st 27, 1771. The grandfather 
was a native of France, and on coining to the 
United States took part in the Revolutionary 
War. Elizabeth Bloomer, the first wife of Dan- 
iel La Moreaux, was born May 29, 1778, and by 
her marriage became the mother of eight chil- 
dren, all of whom are deceased with the excep- 
tion of Robert. On the death of his first wife, 
Mr. La Moreaux married Mary Lent, whose birth 
occurred June 4, 1786. Of this union there were 
born four children, viz.: Catherine; Isaac, of this 
sketch; Thomas and Hannah. Isaac is the only 
survivor of this family. 

The father of our subject came from Orange to 
Seneca County about the year 1801. The jour- 
nej- hither was made by ox-teams, and he was 
one of the earliest to make his home in this sec- 
tion. Very soon thereafter he purchased one 
hundred acres of wild land, on which he cleared 
a small space and erected a log cabin, in which 
his family were made passably comfortable. The 
following year the father purchased another one 
hundred acres across the road from this place, 
and there made his home until his decease, in 



1853. He became one of the most successful 
farmers of the county, and succeeded in accumu- 
lating a handsome fortune, owning at the tinie of 
his decease three hundred acres of excellent land. 
He was fairly well educated, securing his knowl- 
edge of the branches taught by attending the dis- 
trict schools during odd seasons of farm work. 

Mr. La Moreaux was married Jaimary 18. 1844. 
to Miss Maria Lattourette. To them have been 
born three children, of whom the eldest son, 
Abraham, is an engineer at Penn Yan, X. Y.; 
and Mary A. and Sarah are at home. Isaac re- 
mained under the parental roof until after his 
marriage, when he took posse.s.sion of the tract 
whereon he now makes his home. 

In his political affiliation Mr. La Moreaux is a 
strong Democrat, casting his first vote for Martin 
Van Buren. He is much esteemed in the com- 
munity where all his life has been passed, and by 
industry and good management he has gathered 
around him many of the comforts and conven- 
iences of life, and is now enabled to sit down and 
enjoy the fruits of his labor. 



gHARLES L. GRIDLI-:V. widely known 
throughout this portion of Seneca County, 
deserves representation in this volume, and 
it is with pleasure that we present this record of 
his life to our readers. He is at present farm- 
ing in the town of Junius, where he is the pro- 
prietor of a fine and excellently cultivated estate. 
The subject of this sketch was born in Sulli- 
van County, X. Y.. December 29, 1S47, his par- 
ents being Charles and Mary Matilda (Skinner) 
Gridley, well-to-do residents of that county. They 
moved to Saratoga County when our subject was 
two years of age. and a little over a year there- 
after the wife and mother died, leaving a family 
of four children, of whom Charles L. was the 
youngest. The father married again, and our 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



231 



subject lived at home until reaching his twelfth 
year, when he made his way to Clyde, Wayne 
County, and although a stranger in that locality, 
obtained work, for which he received his board 
and clothes, and was also permitted to go to 
school a part of the time. He lived with this 
good Quaker family for two years, and on leav- 
ing them worked out for eight months in the 
year, receiving S7 per month, out of which he 
was obliged to pay for his board, clothing and 
schoolbooks. Xotwith.standing these calls made 
upon him, he saved in that time $45, and the 
next year his services were rewarded by an in- 
crease of a dollar a month. Out of this salary he 
saved during the \-ear $55, which, with the $45, 
he put out at interest, thus giving him quite a 
start. The third year he received $13 a month, 
and had he not made a contract with his em- 
ploj'er the preceding year, he could have com- 
manded $16, as his services were well worth that 
amount. 

December 16, 1863, when nearly sixteen years 
of age, our subject enlisted in Company H, Ninth 
New York Heavy Artillerj-, and with his regi- 
ment was ordered to the front. Under the com- 
mand of General Grant, the regiment did duty as 
infantry in the battle of the Wilderness. After 
this they guarded wagon trains until May 26, 
1864, when occurred the battle of North Anna, 
in which they al.so participated. From this place 
they marched to Cold Harbor, and from June i 
to June II were under fire there every da\- and 
night. 

In the battle of Cold Harbor our subject's 
brother Edward, who was a member 0/ the same 
regiment, was wounded in the breast, the ball 
passing through the shoulder and cutting off the 
head of the shoulder bone, which our subject 
has preserved. He was taken from the field of 
battle, and although the doctors told him he 
could not possibly live, he refused to have his 
arm amputated. Contrary to their expectations, 
he rallied, and is living at this writing and also 
has some u.se of his wounded arm. He makes 
his home in Chde, Wayne County, and is the 
father of a daughter, who is now married. 

Charles L. participated in many other import- 



ant engagements, fighting at Harper's Ferry, 
Winchester, Cedar Creek, Fi.sher's Hill and Mt. 
Jack.son. After the last-named battle the regi- 
ment went back to the James River, and was 
encamped just .south of Peter.sburg until after the 
surrender of that city. From there they were 
ordered to Burkeville Junction, and from there 
marched to Danville, \'a., where they did guard 
duty. Upon the establishment of peace, they 
marched to Washington, D. C, and participated 
in the Grand Review, after which our subject was 
mustered out of .service at Ft. Ethan Allen, and 
discharged October 10 at Hart's Island. 

During his army experience our subject had 
saved a little money, and after remaining in 
Clyde a short time entered Ea.stman's Business 
College at Poughkeep.sie, finishing the course in 
1866. After leaving .school he engaged to work 
for a brother in Wayne County, and a year there- 
after began farming on .shares. This continued 
until about 1874, when, October 18 of that year, 
he was married to Miss Ivnima D. Lynch, of the 
town of Galen, Wayne County. She was borii, 
however, in the town of Waterloo, Seneca Coun- 
ty, but had accompanied her parents on their re- 
moval to that portion of the state many years 
before. 

In February, 1875, our subject made a pur- 
chase of eighty-five and one-half acres of land, 
on which he now lives. At that time it bore 
very few improvements, but it was not long be- 
fore Mr. Gridley had repaired the I^iuildings and 
laid over fifty thousand tiles on the place. In 
1893 he became the owner of a tract of seventy - 
five acres in the town of Waterloo, from the cul- 
tivation of which he reaps a good income. 

Mrs. Gridley departed this life in 1882, leaving 
two children, I/jttie A. and Grace E. The elder 
daughter completed her education in the .schools 
of Waterloo, and is now engaged in teaching. 
Grace E. is .still a student. Mr. Gridley chose 
for his second wife Miss Hattie M. Olin, and 
they were married February- 22, 1888. They 
have one daughter, Louise, who was born March 
16, 1889. Mrs. Gridle>- is a daughter of Rev. 
William B. Olin. whose biography appears else- 
where in this volume. 



232 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



In his political relations our subject affiliates 
with the Republican party, on which ticket he 
was elected Justice of the Peace, entering upon 
the duties of his office Januarj- i, 1895. He has 
also been Town Committeeman, and in every po- 
sition he occupies gives satisfaction. Socially he 
is a member of Rose Hill Grange at Waterloo, 



in which body he has filled most of the minor of- 
fices. He belongs to Tyler J. Snyder Post, 
G. A. R., also at Waterloo, and has attended the 
reunion of his regiment at various times. Mod- 
est and unassuming. Mr. Gridley is a man who 
makes friends of all with whom he comes in 
contact. 






HON. M. J. SUNDERLIN. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



235 



^@^iy<S)-^ 



K^^: HON. MARTIN J. SUNDERLIN, 



-^^^^s?;:^ 




HON. MARTIN J. SUNDERLIN, attoniey- 
at-la\v at Watkins, has been a familiar fig- 
ure to the people of this cominunit>- for 
more than twenty years, and they have shown 
their appreciation of the man in many different 
ways, not only by giving him a full share of the 
legal business that originates in their midst, but 
also by selecting him for responsible public posi- 
tions, such as County Judge and Postmaster of 
the village. It hardly need be said that he is a 
man of candor, energy, perseverance and integ- 
rit\' — that fact needs only to be mentioned here 
in the interest of a candid history. 

Judge Sunderlin was born in the town of Har- 
rington, Yates County, N. Y., April ii, 1833, 
and IS the son of Dellazon Sunderlin, who was 
born in Putnam County, this state, in February, 
1S09. For some years before his death, which 
occurred September 8, 1871, the latter acted as 
District Attorney, and proved himself an honor- 
able and capable lawyer. He was also a stanch 
Democrat. His father, Dennis Sunderlin, was 
also born in Putnam County, and was of English 
and French extraction. The mother of our sub- 
ject, who bore the maiden name of Louisa Swart- 
hout, was a daughter of James A. Swarthout, and 
belonged to a noted central New York family. 

7 



She finished her earthly life in the year 1887, 
after seventy-six years of lights and shadows, 
such as come to all the children of humanity. 
Martin J. was her eldest .son, and was the third 
of seven children. He had three sisters and three 
brothers, of whom only one sister is now living. 

Martin was given the public-school privileges 
that belonged to the boys of his time and neigh- 
borhood, and besides attending tlie district .school 
at Harrington, was given two terms at Dundee 
Academy. After his return home he read law 
with his father, and was admitted to the Bar at 
Auburn in May, 1S56, at the General Term of 
the Supreme Court held there. He began his 
jirofessional life in Yates County, where he con- 
tinued practicing law until 1.S64. That year he 
took possession of a farm, and blended farming 
with legal life. In 1872 he came to Watkins, 
where he has resided up to the present time. In 
1882 he was elected County Judge and Surro- 
gate of Schuyler County, and held the position 
six years. 

Politically Mr. Sunderlin has acted with the 
Democratic ])arty for the last forty years, and his 
fidelity to party lines, along with his manifest 
legal and executive ability, has made him a man 
of recogiii/ed prominence in his party in this 



236 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



portion of tlie state, and especially in this county. 
In 1856 he was married to Miss Eliza J., daugh- 
ter of Stephen C. and Susan A. Sharp, of Starkey, 
Yates Count V. 



(John GOODWIN. The olde.st members of 
I a community are doubtless entitled to the re- 
G/ spect and esteem of their neighbors, when 
their long lives have been replete with acts of 
kindness, and their whole career marked by in- 
tegrity and uprightness. The time-honored and 
respected gentleman whose name appears at the 
head of this sketch is one of the prominent fann- 
ers of his community, and makes a specialty of 
the dairj- business, having on his estate in the 
town of Tyre, Seneca County, full-blooded Jersey 
and Galloway cattle. 

Mr. Goodwin was born in a log house on the 
above farm, on the 25th of September, 18 18, to 
Charles and Martha (Anderson) Goodwin. He 
is of German descent on his father's side, the 
latter having been born in Litzenberg, Germanj', 
and on his mother's side is of Irish extraction. 
When a boy, Charles Goodwin ran away from 
home, and, going to England, made his home 
in that country for a time, after which he vis- 
ited Ireland. While there he met and married 
Miss Anderson, and with her emigrated to 
America. They first located at Hamilton, Can- 
ada, where two of their children, William and 
Robert, were born. The father was a weaver 
by trade, and after living in the Dominion for 
a time moved to New York. He first resided 
at Rome, where Jane and Mary were born, 
and about 1807 came to Seneca County. After 
reaching here he decided to follow farming also, 
and accordingly purchased a tract of one hundred 
and fifty acres of land of Colonel Mynderse, 
agent for a land compan\-. This proved to be an 
Irish settlement, and here they lived for many 



years. In addition to cultivating his land, the 
father followed weaving, in which occupation his 
wife was also engaged for some time after his 
death. When fifty years pf age he had very 
white hair, although none of his children resem- 
bled him in this respect. In politics he was a 
Whig, and was greatly opposed to secret societies, 
especially the Masonic. 

The parental family included eleven children, 
eight of whom grew to mature years. Five were 
married and three are now living. The father of 
this family made his will in 1825, and provided 
that a son who was farming in Covington might 
come home and operate the homestead until he 
could pay for his estate. This he did, and, had 
he not been so conscientious, might have become 
the permanent owner of the place. The will also 
provided that another son was to have fifty acres 
on the south; twenty-five acres were to be given 
to two others of the family, while a tract of fiftj- 
acres on which the dwelling stood was to belong 
to his widow until her death, when it was to be- 
come the property of our subject. The daughters 
of the household were each to be given $100 in 
cash, and a horse and cow when ready to marry. 

While a boy, John was compelled to work on 
the farm, and thus received only a very limited 
education. He was a lad of seven or eight years 
when his father died, and he was cared for by a 
brother, for whom he worked until he became of 
age, when he was paid $100 for his first year's 
work. After reaching his majority, he and his 
brother Robert purchased the interest of the other 
heirs in the home farm, and operated it until the 
death of the latter, when our subject purchased 
the entire amount. To this he has since added 
sixteen acres, and has now one of the best estates 
in the town, comprising two hundred and sixteen 
acres. He devotes his land to general farming 
purposes, and makes a specialty of dairying, 
keeping on his place a fine herd of Jersey and 
Galloway cattle. 

Mr. Goodwin cast his first Presidential vote in 
1840, for William Henry Harri.son, and thereaft- 
er voted the Whig ticket until 1856, when he 
supported John C. Fremont, the Republican can- 
didate. With the exception of filling the office of 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



237 



Pathniaster, our subject has always refused to ac- 
cept public office, although often prevailed upon 
to do so. In early life he was a Mason, but, not 
approving of their methods of initiating new 
members, he is not connected with the order at 
the present time. 



— -^o>- X ^ -<c'^ 



HOHN h. RVNO is a member of the firm of 
I Ryno & Longstreet, established in the v^illage 
Q) of Farmer. This firm carries on a foundry 
and machine-shop, and is also engaged in the 
manufacture of fruit baskets. The bu.siness was 
established in 1866 by Almy & Ryno, aiid for 
four years they confined their energies to the 
scope of a machine-shop, and then organized the 
present firm. Six years ago the firm added to its 
already extensive work the making of fruit bas- 
kets, for which the horticultural development of 
this county had created a steady demand. 

Mr. Ryno, our subject, was born September 21, 
1835, and is the son of Smith and Rachel ( Rap- 
pleye) Ryno, his father coming from New Jersey, 
while the mother is a native of this count)-. Jokli 
Ryno, the grandfather of the subject of this 
sketch, was of French extraction, and .settled on a 
farm in the town of Hector, then in Tompkins, 
but now in .Schuyler, County, where he died. His 
.son .Smith, the father of our subject, was a young 
man when he came to Seneca County, and here 
he lived until his marriage with Miss Rachel, a 
daughter of William Rappleye. After his mar- 
riage, Mr. Ryno settled in the town of Covert 
and occupied his energies with blacksmilhing, 
bricklaying and mason work. In 18.45 ''<^ ^^- 
nioved to Genesee County, Mich., and located on 
a farm near Flint, and there he died when he had 
reached sixty-five years of age. He was a suc- 
cessful man of the business world, bore an hon- 
ored name in the connnunity, and at his death 



was the owner of a valuable property of two"hun- 
dred and fifty acres near Flint. In the Baptist 
Church, of which he was a faithful and helpful 
member, he .served as Deacon. 

In his political relations Mr. Ryno was first a 
member of the Democratic party. Later, how- 
ever, his affiliations were found with the Whigs, 
and when the Republican part}' was organized he 
was enrolled in its ranks. His wife survived 
him some years, living until more than seventy 
years of age. She became the mother of a large 
family of children, all of whom lived to attain 
maturity. Hannibal was a fanner, and died 
near F'lint, Mich., leaving no children. Eliza, 
who married John Brace, died in Michigan, and 
left one daughter. Mary, the wife of George Cul- 
ver, also died in Michigan. John L. was the 
next in order of birth. Sarah, who married John 
Whitley, has passed from earth, and her grave 
is at Port Huron, Mich. Thaddeus was among 
those who died in Andersonville Prison, giv- 
ing life itself for his beloved fatherland: he 
was a member of a Michigan regiment. Ansel, 
who died in Indiana, was a mill-owner. Ange- 
line, who was unmarried, died in her father's 
house in Michigan. Frances married, and died 
in Lapeer County, Mich., leaving two children. 
Julia is the wife of J. L. King, of Port Huron, 
and has two children. 

Mr. Ryno, the subject of tliis .sketch, went to 
Michigan with his father's family, was reared a 
farmer, and was given the educational adx'antages 
of the district .schools. In 1859, feeling that the 
opportunities of New York were more favorable 
than the farther West, he returned to Farmer. 
In 1862 his country called him, and he enlisted 
in Company C, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth 
New York \'olunteers, following the flag until 
the closing of the war, and participating in more 
than thirty engagements. He was attached to 
the Arnn- of the Potomac, and liis military expe- 
riences were varied and interesting. At one time 
he was taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry, but 
was soon paroled. He was a musician, and 
was a member of a band of fifteen pieces, all from 
the village of Farmer. Of this number less than 
half lived t" return from the war. It was known 



238 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



as the Third Brigade Band, and was the first to 
play the "Surrender of Lee" at Appomattox. It 
participated in the Grand Review at Washington, 
after which it was mustered out of the service un- 
der general orders. 

Coming back to the pursuits of peaceful life, 
Mr. Ryno came to Fanner and established him- 
self in the business of a machinist and manufact- 
urer, and during these many years of peace he 
has done well. He has a good business, is 
known and honored by his fellow-townsmen, and 
is considered a valuable member of the Baptist 
Church, of which he is Trustee. He was mar- 
ried in 1862, just before going into the service, 
Miss Anne Eliza, the daughter of John P. Rap- 
pleye, gladly linking her fortunes with those of 
the brave .soldier. They have one adopted daugh- 
ter, Maggie L., and are very happily established 
in a beautiful home on forty acres of fine farming 
land belonging to Mr. Rvno.. 



■•^:•0•^<♦•— «- 



""UGENE K. SMITH. Schuyler County has 
^ many estimable citizens, but none are more 
_„ highh- respected, or, for conscientious dis- 
charge of dut}- in every relation of life, more 
worthy of respect and esteem, than Mr. Smith, 
who is one of the well-to-do farmers of the town ; 
of Reading. He is a self-made man in every 
.sense of the term, and although his experience in 
life has been a varied one, it is at the same time 
one that reflects only credit upon him as a man. 
His entire career has been such as to win respect 
and esteem from all who are favored with his ac- 
quaintance. 

The parents of our subject were Charles R. and 
Amanda ( Hitchcock > Smith, natives al.so of this 
state. In 1846 they came hither from Augusta, 
Oneida County, and at once took up their abode 
in the town of Reading, where they lived happily 
together until the death of the father, which oc- 



curred April 21, 1885. The wife and mother 
survived him until May 4, 18S9, when she, too, 
passed away. They were highly respected peo- 
ple, and were active members of the Baptist 
Church. 

The subject of this .sketch was one in a family 
of four sons and two daughters. He was born in 
Augusta, Oneida County, July 12, 1845, and was 
consequently an infant when his parents came to 
.Schuyler Count\-. He was reared to manhood 
in Reading, and through his Qwn efforts acquired 
a good common .school education. 

Eugene K. Smith remained under the parental 
roof until the fall of 1864, when he enlisted in 
defense of his country's flag, and became a mem- 
ber of Company D, One Hundred and Seventy- 
ninth New York Infantry-. With his regiment 
he participated in the battle in front of Peters- 
burg and in the fall of Richmond, being actively 
engaged until his discharge, June 25, 1865. 

Mr. Smith continued to make his home with 
his parents until the .spring of 1S66, when he be- 
gan operations for himself, his first purchase be- 
ing a farm of forty acres in the town of Reading. 
He also carried on an adjoining farm of seventy- 
five acres on shares for six years. 

The marriage of Mr. Smith and Miss Libbie 
Cross took place in Reading, December 21. 1870. 
Mrs. Smith was the daughter of John and Fanny 
(Bozard) Cross, natives of this county. Her fa- 
ther, who was a well-to-do farmer of the town ot 
Reading, departed this life on the nth of June, 
1895. His widow, however, is still living, and 
makes her home at the old homestead. They were 
the parents of six children, of whom Mrs. Smith 
was the eldest. She was born in the town of 
Reading May 26, 1S48, and was well educated in 
the district schools. 

Fred Smith, the only son of Mr. and Mrs. 
E. K. Smith, was born September 12, 1871. 
Eleven years later our subject purchased the farm 
of thirty-five acres on which he is now living, 
and which is well improved. He has ever been 
interested in public affairs and has made an ex- 
cellent official. For twelve years he was Justice 
of the Peace, and held the office of E.xcise Com- 
missioner two terms and Town Collector for two 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



239 



years. In 1893 he was appointed Loan Commis- 
sioner by Governor Flower, and for two. years 
was the incumbent of that responsible position, 
discharging the duties of the same with ability, 
fidelity and excellent judgment. He has alwa>s 
voted the Democratic ticket, and is an influential 
member of that part\ in the county. Mr. and 
Mrs. Smith, together with their son Fred, are 
members in excellent standing of the Baptist 
Church, worshiping with the congregation at 
Reading, and Mr. Smith is one of the Trustees 
of the church. Socially he is connected with 
Watkins Post No. 551, G. A. R. 



->-»- 



IILLARD PULLMAN. The venerable 
gentleman whose honored name opens this 
sketch is well known throughout Seneca 
County. He has endeared himself to the people 
among whom so many years of his life have been 
passed, and is now living in their midst retired 
from work of any kind. He is the owner of a 
splendid estate, which is the result of his own 
labors, and which is pleasantly located just out- 
side the corporate limits of Waterloo. 

Mr. Pullman is a native of this state, and was 
born in the town of Berne, Albany County, Au- 
gust 31, 1814, and is therefore over eighty-one 
years of age. His parents were Darius and Lu- 
cinda (Belts) Pullman, the former of whom was 
born in Albany Countj-, while his father, who 
bore the name of Salter, it is thought was a native 
of Wales, and a soldier in the Revolutionary 
War. He was present at the surrender of Bur- 
goyne at Saratoga, and spent one winter at Val- 
ley Forge. He also witnessed the surrender of 
Cornwallis. Darius Pullman was a well edu- 
cated man, and taught school for some fifty win- 
ters, passing his time in the summer as a farmer. 
He commenced teaching when a young man of 



eighteen years, and followed it until after attain- 
ing his sevent\-fiflh year. He .served his com- 
munity as School Commissioner and In.spector, 
and in whatever position placed never failed to 
give entire satisfaction. At one time he lived at 
Nine Partners, on the Hudson, but later took up 
land in Albany County, which he cleared and 
improved, making it his home until his decease, 
which occurred when our subject was eleven years 
of age. 

The subject of this sketch attained mature 
years on his father's estate in Albany County, 
and, being the eldest of the household, assisted 
his mother in looking after the family while his 
father was engaged in teaching school. He was 
thus permitted to attend school but a short time, 
and his knowledge of books during his younger 
years was very limited. After reaching his ma- 
jority he was given $100 in monej- and board 
and clothes for performing eighteen months' work 
for his father. 

Mr. Pullman was married to Miss Phebe Ann 
Goff, a native of Albany County, and to them 
was born a daughter, who died when five j'ears 
of age. In the year 1837 Mr. Pullman bought 
the old home.stead of one hundred and eighteen 
acres, and to this added the twenty acres which 
he already owned. His parents in the mean 
time moved to Wayne County, where they lived 
for a number of years, and then became residents 
of Palmyra, where Darius Pullman departed this 
life when pa.st eighty-two years of age. His good 
wife preceded him by just three hours. 

In May, 1841, our subject moved to Ontario 
County, where he conducted a grocerj- business 
for a period of five years. At the end of that 
time he sold out his stock and invested his means 
in a tract of land consi.sting of one hundred acres 
in Wayne County. On this place he lived for 
five years, meeting with fair results, when he 
centered his interests in the town of Van Buren, 
Onondaga County, giving in exchange his farm 
in Wayne County for the same amount of land in 
that locality. After identifying hnnself with the 
interests of that section for five years, he located 
where he now lives. His possessions here first 
comprised fifty acres, to which he later added a 



^46 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



like amount, and some time thereafter bought one 
hundred acres more. He has remodeled the 
buildings on the place from time to time, and is 
now living in comfortable circumstances in his 
pleasant home. 

Mrs. Phebe Pullman departed this life in Onta- 
rio County, and prior to his removal from that 
locality Mr. Pullman married Miss Betsy Dugan, 
a native of the town of Sand Lake, Rensselaer 
County. To them has been born a son, Charles, 
who is married and the father of four children. 
He make his home on the farm of our subject, 
looking after the cultivation of the place. 

In his early years Mr. Pullman was a Whig, 
and voted for William Henry Harrison in 1840. 
In 1856 he cast a ballot supporting Fremont, and 
ever since has been an independent Republican. 
When a boy he had the privilege of seeing and 
forming the acquaintance of Mr. Williams, who 
aided in the capture of Major Andre. 



I®. 



_ .^^)^... ^(e>j 



QROF. JAMES S. BOUGHTON. There is 
LX no career that more addresses the affection, 
fS and commands the esteem of men, than the 
profession of teaching. It offers few attractions 
outside of its own rewards; it wins no loud plau- 
dits from the multitude, and is hedged about 
with difficulties; but those who prize humanity 
and know what the good of the world demands 
hold the teacher in the very highest esteem. So 
it is in Waterloo. The name of Professor Bough- 
ton is that of a dear and honored friend. Class 
after class of school children have been under his 
guiding hand, and for each he has done a work 
wh(3se value can only be tested in the long years. 
Proie.ssor Boughton was born in the town of 
Ovid, Seneca County, January 31, 1829, the .son 
ofAbijah and Charlotte (Robertson) Boughton, 



both natives of Connecticut. The senior Mr. 
Boughton was twice married, his first wife Ijeing 
Rebecca .Sliute, of Danbury, Conn. Soon after 
marriage he removed to New York, and in 1818 
located in Seneca County, where his first wife 
died. Here he was married to Charlotte Robert- 
son, by whom he had three children: Rebecca 
(deceased ), James S. and Abijah. During his 
active days the father was devoted to farming. 
He died in the town of Ovid, July 16, 1843. 
He was the son of Abijah Boughton, a gallant 
soldier of the Revolution, who held a General's 
commission, but lost his life in the great strug- 
gle. He was of French descent. The mother of 
James S. died October 10, 1858. 

Professor Boughton passed his youth in the 
town of Ovid, where he attended the district 
school, remaining on the farm until he had passed 
his twentieth year. He then began teaching in 
the country schools, and taught eleven terms in 
the village of Farmer, Seneca County. In April, 
1866, he removed to Waterloo, and was appointed 
Principal of the Union School at that place. This 
po.sition he held until 1875, when he was selected 
as teacher of mathematics. After a little time he 
resigned this position to resume the Principalship 
of the school, and continued in this position un- 
til January I, 1885. The preceding fall he had 
been elected School Commissioner of Seneca 
County for a period of three years, and at the ex- 
piration of his term of office he was appointed 
Assistant Principal of the Union School, with 
especial charge of the classes in mathematics, 
.sciences, philosophj' and bookkeeping. He con- 
tinued here for four years, when, feeling the need 
of a more active life, he resigned from the .school- 
room and its functions, and announced himself to 
the world as a civil engineer for Seneca and ad- 
joining counties. He also holds the office of As- 
sessor of the town of Waterloo. 

December 23, 1852, Professor Boughton and 
Mi.ss Eunice, a daughter of Jesse Sherman, were 
united in marriage in the town of Ovid. They 
reared an adopted daughter, who has since been 
very happily married. 

Politically Professor Boughton affiliates with 
the Republican party, and is active in state af- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



:24t 



fairs In Seneca Lodge No. 113, F. & A. M., 
he i.s a Mason in good standing. He is a regnlar 
attendant npon the services of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, and for over twentj- years led 
the choir. In addition to the many things he 
has had upon his mind, he has had charge of a 
most interesting singing-school. 






. DW'IN CLARK. Foremost among the citi- 
'S zens of Waterloo who have achieved note- 
__ worthy success in business, we mention the 
name of Mr. Clark, who is engaged in a varied 
and comprehensive line of trade, of especial im- 
portance to farmers, builders and contractors. In 
his establishment he carries a full line of Port- 
land cement, patent wall plaster, land plaster, 
salt and water lime, and he also carries on a large 
trade in hard and soft woods, shavings and all 
kinds of lumber. He has been very successful 
in this, as in other undertakings, and is highly 
esteemed in the community. 




n ENJAMIN LEMMON GAMBEE, a resident 
1^ of the town of Varick, Seneca County, is a 
d/ representative of one of the pioneer families 
in this county, and also one of Revolutionary 
fame. His grandfather, John Gambee, who was 
a soldier during that war, by trade was a black- 
smith, and had the honor of shoeing General 
Washington's horses. In 1806 he came to this 
county from Bucks County, Pa., and i)urchased 



a large tract of land, where his death occurred, 
and though our subject was but six years of age 
at the time, he vividly remembers the event. 
The tract on which the grandfather settled ad- 
joins that now owned by our subject. He be- 
came the father of twelve cliildren, nine sons and 
three daughters, all of whom lived to be past 
middle life. The .sons were: Jacob, John, Will- 
iam, Solomon, Da\'id, Gideon, Benjamin, Sam- 
uel and Joseph. The daughters were Elizabeth, 
who remained single and lived on a part of her 
father's place until her death, at the age of sev- 
enty; Catharine, who married Jes.se Abbott, of 
Varick; and Molly, who married Jacob Seybolt, 
of Varick. Each of the married daughters had 
families. 

Gideon Gambee, the father of our subject, was 
born March 16, 1796, in Bucks County, Pa., and 
came with his parents to Seneca County when 
about ten years of age. On the 4th of May, 
1820, he married Sarah Lemmon, born January 
4, 1802, and a daughter of Judge Benjamin Lem- 
mon, one of the pioneer settlers of the town of Va- 
rick. Her father was a remarkable man in many 
respects. For some years he was Judge of the 
County Court in Seneca County, and was a man 
of excellent judgment. He was married five 
times, and reared a large family, his last marriage 
occurring when he was quite advanced in years. 
None of the name now remain in this count}-. 
After some years' residence here, her father 
moved to Ohio, where he died at an advanced 
age. 

After his marriage, Gideon Gambee located on 
a farm of seventy-five acres, which was a part of 
Judge Lemmon' s tract, and which was partly 
paid for by his father, who assi.sled his sons.. He 
paid close attention to his business, and added to 
his possessions until he had a farm of two hun- 
dred and fifty acres. To his friends he was very 
liberal, helping them in many ways, and also as- 
sisted his family in securing homes. Politically 
he was a Whig. His death occurred August 20, 
1857, and his wife died October 28, 1858. They 
were the parents of the following children: Mary 
Elizabeth, the widow of Royal Sutton, of Kansas 
City, Mo. ; Catharine Rebecca, widow of Robert 



242 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Rutherford, of Rochester, N. Y.; Clarissa Ann. 
widow of Daniel Sebring, of \'arick; Benjamin 
L. , our subject; Hannah Maria, widow of Barney 
Tyler, of Toledo, Ohio: Harriet E., who died at 
Cresco, Iowa; Lovina, who married Frank Kyte, 
of Kansas City, Mo.; and Sarah Louisa, Mrs. 
Kunes, who died at Cresco, Iowa. 

Benjamin L. Gambee, the subject of this sketch, 
was born on the farm where he now lives, Octo- 
ber 8, 1825. He grew to manhood in this town, 
receiving his education in the common schools, 
and remained at home with his father until the 
death of the latter. On the 21st of March, 1867, 
he was united in marriage with Mrs. Marv Cath- 



arine Carr, widow of John S. Carr, of Varick, 
and a daughter of Jacob and Catharine fBevier) 
Goodman, of Fayette, Seneca County, where she 
was born November 28, 1842. By her first hus- 
band she had one daughter, Martha A., who 
died March 9, 1S84, in her twenty -first year. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Gambee two children ha\-e been 
born: Mabel, who is a teacher of shorthand in the 
business college at Appleton, Wis. ; and Edward 
B., who is on the home farm. In politics our 
subject is a Republican, and has held several 
minor town offices, but has refused to serve in 
others. Mrs. Gambee is a member of the Pres- 
bvterian Church at West Favette. 




MR. AND MRS. KUOKNE l'. HICKI.OW. 




PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



245 



.(^. Ji^A, >f^ .9. 




■^::Sjr^jtsr"^ 



"TUGENE U. BIGELOW, known through- 
v) out this section as the proprietor of the To- 
__ bahanna Stock Farm, is a breeder of thor- 
oughbred Jersey cattle. His estate, which is 
peculiarl)- adapted to stock-raising, is located in 
the town of T3-rone, Schuj-ler County, and com- 
prises some two hundred acres. 

Our subject is the son of James and Flora 
(Clark) Bigelow, residents of Dundee, where 
they are well known and highly regarded, being 
among its best residents. They became the par- 
ents of a family of six sons and daughters, of 
whom we make the following mention : Alzada 
is the wife of H. C. Cook, of Dundee; Charlie C. 
was accidentally killed when about twelve years 
of age by the explosion of a small cannon; Eu- 
gene U., of this sketch, was the next-born; Jen- 
nie F. is now the widow of J. C. Morrow, and 
is residing in Weston; Clayton J. married Jennie 
Gray, and is a citizen of Dundee; and Lottie is 
Mrs. Frank Shepherd, of Altay. 

The subject of this sketch was born June 8, 
1855, in Alta)', where he was reared. After com- 
pleting his education in the common schools, he 
entered Starkey Academy, and after carrying on 
his studies there for a time, lie returned to the 
home farm and assisted his father in carrying on 
farm work until his marriage, which was cele- 
brated January 12, 1881, Miss Emma L. LaFever 



becoming his wife. She was born in Catta- 
raugus County, N. Y., in 1855, and was the 
daughter of Russell K. and Emily A. (Wilber) 
LaFever. 

For three years after his union Mr. Bigelow 
lived within one mile of Altay, but as it became 
advisable to make a change at the end of that 
time, he took up his abode on his present estate, 
which is the old home farm. As before stated, 
it is two hundred acres in extent, and is de- 
voted mainly to breeding Jerse}' cattle. It is 
known far and wide as the Tobahanna Stock Farm, 
and on it Mr. Bigelow has about twenty head of 
fine cattle. He manufactures a very fine quality of 
butter, which is sold almost exclusively in Rocli- 
ester and the larger cities. It is known through- 
out this entire .section, and every pound bears 
Mr. Bigelow's initials. In addition to this branch 
of farming, he also rai.sesa large amount of grain, 
which he uses mainly in feeding his stock. 

To our subject and his excellent wife there 
have been born two children. Bertha L. and 
Maude E. Mr. Bigelow takes an active part in 
all affairs of local interest, and is especially prom- 
inent in school matters, and is now serving as 
Trustee of his district. In politics he never fails 
to support candidates of the Republican party. 
Socially he belongs to Lamoka Lodge No. 463, 
F. & A. M., and is Junior Warden of his lodge. 



246 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Bigelow is both modest and unassuming, 
making friends of all with whom he comes' in 
contact, and he is counted one of the progress- 
ive citizens of Schuvler County. 




i+c-i- 



(TESSE T. OWEN, M. D., has practiced med- 
I icine in Lodi for fifteen years, and is one of 
O the oldest phjsicians in the place. He was 
born in Brighton, Livingston County, Mich., 
February 22, 1849, and is now in the prime of 
life. His parents were Herman C. and Irene 
(Franklin) Owen, natives of New York, of that 
part which is now known as Schuyler County. 
They were the parents of five children, of whom 
four lived to maturity. Cynthia, the eldest daugh- 
ter, married Jeremiah Batcheler, a prominent 
stock-raiser of Livingston County, Mich. Jesse 
T. is next in order. John is a resident of How- 
ell, Mich.; and Susan, the widow of James Sillo- 
way, is a resident of Warren County, Tenn. 
Herman Owen was a farmer, and died in Michi- 
gan, at the age of seventy-three j-ears. His wife 
also died many years ago, while Jesse was still a 
small lad. 

Dr. Owen, our subject, was only thirteen years 
of age when he came to New York to reside with 
his uncle, Judge Franklin, of Ovid, where he re- 
ceived a fair academical education. While still 
very young he began the study of medicine, with 
Dr. Lewis Post, of Lodi, as preceptor, and fin- 
ished with Dr. William Murray, of Albany. He 
entered the medical department of Union Uni- 
versity at Albany, and graduated in the Class of 
'73. Later he entered into practice at South 
Worcester, Otsego Count)-, and in 1880 came to 
Lodi, where he has since resided. In connection 
with his medical career he has carried on a drug 
business very successfully, and has won a sub- 
stantial success. All through his career he has 



displayed those qualities of patience, courage and 
an indomitable perseverance that win anywhere. 
As a boy he would work at anything he could 
find to do, even while attending school. Later 
on he taught school, thereby paying his way 
through college, and when he graduated he had 
$2,000 saved, with which to commence his life 
work . 

In 1874 Dr. Owen manied Miss Lavella, the 
daughter of Isha W. Blackwell, the inventor and 
manufacturer of a very practical and successful 
clover huller . 

Politically Dr. Owen is a Democrat, but has 
never held or aspired to any elective office, as his 
profession and its kindred interests have absorbed 
all his energies. He is a Mason, and is associ- 
ciated with his fellow-practitioners in the Otsego 
County Medical Society. By strict attention to 
business he accumulated not a little property; 
he owns a farm near Lodi, which he conducts, and 
is also the owner of considerable property in the 
village. As he looks back and recalls the diffi- 
culties that he has overcome. Dr. Owen has rea- 
.son to felicitate himself over the large measure 
of professional and pecuniary success that has 
crowned his labors. 



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UJ bar net MAYNARD. The firm of 
I / Maynard & Barnes have won an enviable 
lis .standing in the village of Waterloo for the 
careful and efficient manner in which they have 
conducted their large and growing business, dis- 
posing, as they do, of great quantities of groceries 
and pro\'isions to the people of Waterloo and vi- 
cinity, and collecting and shipping to the outside 
world a large amount of the produce that the ca- 
pable agriculturists of Seneca County present for 

sale. 

Mr. Mavnard was born in the town of Water- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



247 



loo September 30, 1858, and is the son of Samuel 1 
Stewart and Lucretia (Boiinellj Maynard. On 
his mother's side he is a grandson of Henrj- Bon- 
nell. His father, who is a native of this state, 
was born in Seneca Countj- in 1835, and lived to 
be only forty-three years of age. He was one of 
the honest yeomanry of the land, and followed 
farming as an occupation. His wife, who sur- 
vives him, makes her home with her son, the 
subject of this sketch. His grandfather was one 
of the pioneers of the town of Waterloo, and from 
him have come many of the strong and sturdy 
traits of his Scotch-Irish origin. The mother of 
our subject, who was of English extraction, had 
three children, of whom Baruet was the only son. 
Mary A. is now the wife of Joseph Barnes, a part- 
ner of the firm of MaN'nard & Barnes. His other 
sister, Edith L,., is still at home. 

Mr. Maynard, of whom this sketch is written, 
passed his youth upon his father's farm, attending 
the district school and closing his school career 
with three years in the Waterloo High School. 
With ready self-reliance, he turned his attention 
to school teaching, and after the death of his father 
remained at home and assumed the care of the 
family and the charge of the farm. He was 
verj' busy and earnestly engaged until October, 
1894, when he felt that he was entitled to a less 
vigorous and exhaustive occupation. Accord- 
ingly, in partnership with his brother-in-law, 
Joseph A. Barnes, he purchased the grocery store 
of A. C. Reed & Co. The firm is carrying a large 
and well assorted stock of goods, is doing a good 
business, and its future prospects .seem very- 
hopeful. 

Mr. Maynard has taken an active part in 
political affairs, affiliating with the Republican 
party, and has been called to positions of respon- 
sibility. While serving as Assessor of the town 
of Waterloo, having been elected in 1893, he was 
elected Supervisor of the same town. He is still 
young, and may confidently look forward to 
higher positions in the near future. 

Mr. Maynard has an interest in two well culti- 
vated farms, one of seventy acres in the town of 
Junius, and the other of one hundred and four- 
teen acres in the town of Waterloo, and both 



have good buildings upon them. The larger 
farm is the old family homestead, and at the 
present time both are rented to capable tenants, 
but are closely supervised by Mr. Maynard. The 
subject of this sketch lias never married. He is 
still a young man, and his friends and neighbors 
"hope for better things." 



GlLONZO H. TERWILLIGER is .senior mem- 

ber of the firm of A. H. Terwilliger & Son, 

1 I at Waterloo, who are engaged in the sale 
of lumber, lath, shingles, mouldings, cements, 
sewer pipes, wall plaster and hard and soft coal, 
in which line a large trade is carried on among 
the people of the village. 

In politics Mr. Terwilliger is a Democrat, and 
takes an active interest in local matters. He has 
served for two years as Trustee of the village of 
Waterloo, and is a Tru.stee in the Waterloo 
Library and Historical Society. Aside from 
other interests, he is a stockholder and Director 
in the Fir.st National Bank of Waterloo. He and 
his family are prominent members of the Epis- 
copal Church of this village. 




0AVID B. CRANE, a merchant at Catharine, 
and general agent for The Aultman Com- 
pany of Canton, Ohio, is a .son of John 
Crane, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this 
work. He was born on the old homestead in the 
town of Catharine, November 7, 1853, and re- 
mained on the home farm until eleven years of 



248 



fORTRAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORl). 



age, when he came to the village and entered the 
public schools, there receiving his education. 
He remained with his parents and assisted his fa- 
ther with the farm work until twenty-three years 
of age. In February, 1877, he began in life for 
himself in the farm-implement bu.siness at Cath- 
arine, continuing in that line in connection with 
farming until 1884, after which he devoted his 
entire time and attention to the trade, with the 
exception of a short time spent as a traveling 
salesman for the Fleming Manufacturing Com- 
pany at Ft. Wayne, Ind. In 1889 he gave up 
the implement business and went into the em- 
ploy of the Western W'heel Scraper Company of 
Aurora, 111., with which he remained four years 
as special agent and expert operator, introducing 
the machines, and traveling in the Western and 
Southern States. In 1893 he engaged with the 
Climax Road Machine Company of Marathon, 
N. Y., having as his territory eastern Pennsyl- 
vania, New Jersc)', Delaware, Maryland, West 
Virginia and Virginia. After remaining with 
that company until December, 1894, he accepted 
the general agency of The Aultman Company of 
Canton, Ohio. Although making his home in 
Catharine, he is almost continually on the road, 
but has a vacation of two months each year. 

In 1893 Mr. Crane established his present 
mercantile business at Catharine, which is in 
charge of his wife, who has proved her ability by 
making the store a success, attending to the buy- 
ing and all the details of the business. In 1892 
Mr. Crane was elected Justice of the Peace, which 
position he still holds, and he has held other 
local oflBces besides. For some years he has been 
School Trustee, taking an active interest in all 
educational matters, and has been instrumental 
in bringing the schools of Catharine to their 
present high standard. His interest in educa- 
tional matters has been intensified by practical 
experience in the schoolroom. At the age of 
twenty he began teaching in the district school, 
following that profession for five years, and since 
his marriage has taught two terms. In politics 
he has always been a Republican, and cast his 
first Presidential vote for R. B. Hayes. 

Mr. Crane was married at Catharine to Jane 



Millspaugh, a native of Catharine, born April 17, 
1853, and a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Scott") 
Millspaugh. Her father is one of the oldest and 
most respected citizens of the town, and is still 
living on the old homestead. By this union two 
children have been born, George B. and Willie 
C. Since eighteen years of age Mr. Crane has 
been a member of Highland Grange No. 22, of 
Catharine, in which order he has been active. 
He has also been an active member of the Good 
Templars, and has .served that order as County 
Deputy. 



(lOHN J. LANE, baggage agent for the Fall 
I Brook Railroad, and agent for the Fall Brook 
G/ Coal Company at Watkins, was born in Mill 
Port, Chemung County, September 4, 1834, and 
is a son of George and Harriet (Justin; Lane. 
His father was born in Oneida County, N. Y., 
and there grew to manhood. Bj- trade he was a 
contractor, and engaged in work on the various 
canals of the state, including the Chemung Canal. 
Later he became largely interested in canal prop- 
erty and boats. He died suddenly of apoplexy at 
Weedsport, where he was buried. 

Our subject spent his boyhood at Mill Port, 
and remained under the parental roof until after 
he attained his majority. He received but a lim- 
ited education in the public schools of his native 
village, and in his youth worked in a mill at that 
place. At the age of twenty -two he came to 
Watkins and took a position as clerk in a grocery 
store, where he remained fifteen years. In 1869 
he was employed in the Collector's office at Wat- 
kins, and in 1874 was appointed Collector of the 
port, which position he retained for two years. 
In 1876 he entered the employ of the Fall Brook 
Coal Company, and seven years later came to 
Watkins as baggage agent, which position he 
still retains. For the past nine years he has been 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



249 



ill the coal business, handling upon an average 
a thousand tons of hard and soft coal per year. 

On the 7th of July, 1859, Mr. Lane was mar- 
ried, ill the town of Reading, to Mary E. Abbott, 
a native of that town, and a daughter of James A. 
and Betsey ( Benham ) Abbott. Her parents were 
early settlers in that town, and were among its 
most highly respected citizens. By this union 
two children were born: Cicorgej., who resides 
in Worcester, Mass., where he is engaged in the 
publishing business; and Lottie L., the wife of 
John Wallersou, of Reading, Pa., a retired capi- 
talist and prominent man of that place. 

In his younger days Mr. Lane was connected 
with the Presbyterian Church, and still attends 
its services, though not holding membership with 
it. Twenty-five years ago he became a Master 
Mason in Jefferson Lodge No. 332, at Watkins, 
and has been prominently identified with the or- 
der since that time. In politics he has always 
been a Democrat, and cast his first Presidential 
vote for James Buchanan. A good business man 
and a most worth}- citizen, he enjoys the respect 
and confidence of the entire community in which 
he lives. 






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GlNDREW JOSHUA ALLEMAN, M. D., of 
• 1 MacDougall, was born September 27, 1828, 
I I the day on which Andrew Johnson was 
elected President, and is consequently a Demo- 
crat. A native of Seneca County, he stands emi- 
nent among the many sons ot that section who 
have achieved fame and fortune. His parents, 
Jacob and Nancy A. (Newstetter) Alleman, were 
both from Pennsylvania, the former from the 
neighborhood of Harrisburg. They settled in the 
town of Fayette in 1807, upon a farm about four 
miles .south of Waterloo. 
Jacob Alleman did not confine his energies to 



the farm, but in company with a Mr. Lucas built 
and operated the Fayette Mills, although he re- 
sided upon the farm, where he died in 1835, aged 
fifty-four years. Mrs. Alleman survived her hus- 
band until her eighty-fifth \ear, her death occur- 
ring in Waterloo. This worthy couple were 
charter memliers of Zion's Lutheran Cliurch in 
Fayette, of which they were steady supporters 
until their death. Ten children blessed their 
union, all of whom attained niatuiit\-, but only 
one of them is living besides the Doctor, Joseph 
D. Alleman, of vSouth Waterloo. The others 
died at varying ages, consumption causing the 
death of most of them. 

The Doctor, who lived at home until twentj-- 
one years of age, was educated at Waterloo Acad- 
emy under Mr. Gibson, who was then Principal, 
but who later became pa.stor of the Episcopal 
Church at Utica. From 1850 until 1853116 .staid 
with Dr. Phelps, of Rochester, N. Y., until the 
death of that .skilled physician from cholera, in 
the year last mentioned. Later he studied with 
O. S. Patterson, of Waterloo, and subsequently 
took a cour.se in Jefferson Medical College, at 
Philadelphia. He took another course at Gen- 
eva Medical College, it being the last year of that 
institution at Geneva. In the latter part of 1854 
he received his diploma from the University of 
New York City, and immediately commenced to 
practice at Fayette. In 1858 he hung out his 
shingle here, and here he has since resided. His 
practice has con.stantly grown, and honors have 
been showered upon him. He is ex-President of 
the Seneca County Medical Society, a member of 
the Western New York Medical Societ\-, and 
has been the subject of eulogistic articles in the 
Medical County History- and the Medical Men's 
History of the County. 

In i860, when the diphtheria epidemic ravaged 
the country, the Doctor attained national fame 
by his success in treating the disease. After the 
battle of the Wilderness he was in charge of the 
Government hospital at Alexandria. Of late 
years Dr. Alleman has devoted his sjiare time to 
the .scientific raising of fruit upon his ninety-acre 
farm, where a variety of small fruits bear testi- 
mony to the success of his efforts in that direction. 



250 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



There, in his commodious and substantial brick 
mansion, he can cast a retrospective eye over 
many years of usefulness, and look forward with 
anticipation to man\' more. 

Dr. Allenian was married, December 13, 1859, 
to Ruby Palmer Woodruff, daughter of Lewis 
and Wealthy Woodruff, of Fayette, where she 
was born. Their only child, Lewis Arthur 
Welles Alleman, received his early education at 
Hobart College, and is also a graduate of Jeffer- 
son Medical College of Philadelphia, Cla.ss of 
'88. Since then he has taken a two-years special 
course in ophthalmology, and has opened an 
office in Brooklyn, where he has a large and in- 
creasing practice. Dr. Lewis Allenian is happily 
married to Miss Frances Dudley, of Geneva, and 
they have two children, Dudley and Marion. 

Although a Democrat, Dr. A. J. Allenian is 
anti-Tammany in his views, and takes no active 
part in politics. He is a member of the First 
Presbyterian Church of \\'est Fayette. It is 
worthy of mention that the church building, v.'hich 
was erected in 1824, is the same as when first 
constructed, with the exception of a few re- 
pairs. Socially the Doctor is a Mason and an 
Odd Fellow of hiy:h rank. 



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Gl BRAM SER\'EN, who holds an honored place 
/ 1 among the retired farmers of Waterloo, was 
/ 1 born in Rockland County in 181 1. In that 
county his father, James H. Serven, was also 
born, and when grown to manhood he engaged 
in the manufacture of woolen-goods. As a side 
issue he carried on a farm with much success. 
The grandfather, Henry Serven, was one of the 
pioneer settlers of the comity, in early life com- 
ing from Holland. The mother of our subject 
was known before her marriage as Miss Ann j 
Lawrence, her parents being of English origin. 
When the father removed with his family from 



Rockland County into Seneca County in 1S22, 
he located upon a farm in the town of Junius, 
consisting at first of but sixty acres, but as he 
was able to add to it he did so. until it contained 
one hundred and fifty acres. Before leaving 
Rockland County, he disposed of all his business 
interests there, and devoted himself to building 
up his farm, on which he remained until the 
time of his death, in 1852, at the ripe age of 
seventy-five years. His wife survived him, dy- 
ing in 1865, in the ninety-fourth year of her age. 
They were the parents of eleven children, whose 
names are as follows; Henry, Mary, John, Chari- 
ty, James, Sally, Abram, Samuel, Rachel, Rich- 
ard and Catherine. Of this goodly family only 
two are now living, Catherine and Abram. 

Mr. Serven, the subject of our article, attended 
school in Junius, and devoted ever}- winter to 
mental improvement until he had reached the 
age of twenty years, when he engaged to work 
by the month for the next two jears. Then he 
took his father's old farm, and began raising 
wheat, his first crop amounting to more than 
thirteen hundred bushels. This he .sold for a 
good price, and the net profits of the year made 
him quite independent. For three years he con- 
tinued on this farm, when he bought a farm for 
himself. 

August 20, 1835, Mr. Serven married Miss 
Eleanor Goodell, of Seneca County. Soon after 
their marriage, the young couple removed to the 
farm in Junius, which at first consi.sted of only 
fort}- acres, but in the passing years has been in- 
creased to eight hundred acres. His first wife 
died June 30, 1849, leaving one child, George J., 
now a prosperous farmer in Junius, residing near 
his grandfather's old homestead. January 13, 
1850, Mr. Serven married Mrs. Maria Mattoon, 
who died September 3, 1886, leaving two chil- 
dren: Ida A., who married Horatio Marshall, a 
prominent attorney of Waterloo; and Abram 
Ralph, now a resident of Washington, D. C. who 
is an attorney-at-law, and an active politician, 
and at present is chief of the division of the 
Comptroller of Currency, appointed under the 
Democratic administration. Mrs. Maria Serven 
had three children by her former husband, Mr. 



m 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



251 



Mattoon. In 1887 our subject married a third 
time, the lady of his choice being Mrs. Ruth A. 
Williams, the widow of Harvey J. Williams, and 
the daughter of Matthias Van Kirke, of Tyre, 
Seneca County. 

Mr. Serven is a stanch Democrat, "from start 
to finish," and has been active in local politics 
without seeking or holding office. In 1873 he 
removed from his farm into Waterloo, and has 
since that time devoted himself to the care of his 
many business interests. He lives in a hand- 
some brick residence, well furnished, and has se- 
cured an ample competence for appioaching old 
age. Though he may be said to have retired, he 
still has interests in the county. 



►-J ♦}2+^®^p)®^*C;« •— <- 



@TIS R. CORBETT, one of the well known 
and sub.stantial citizens of Reading, Schuy- 
ler County, was born in that town, Septem- 
ber 27, 1818, while it was yet a division of Steu- 
ben County. His life was passed upon the home 
farm of the familj-, on the west shore of Seneca 
Lake, until his marriage and the purchase of his 
present homestead, some fifty years ago. His 
education was obtained in the common school of 
the times, and his experience was widened by 
subsequent engagements in public affairs. At 
the age of nineteen he held the position of First 
Lieutenant of an artillery company, of which he 
was a prominent member, taking a lively interest 
in the promotion of the military system then pre- 
vailing throughout New York State. His first 
vote was cast two years later, in 1840, when he 
deposited a ballot for William H. Harrison, and 
all subsequent Whig and Republican Presiden- 
tial candidates have received his support. 

Agriculture has ever been the chief occupation 
of Mr. Corbett, although other matters at times 
have engaged his attention during his long and 



busy life. By judicious investments in real es- 
tate he caused the original farm home to increase 
in acreage, and a competency to accumulate, 
which assures him the contentment of financial 
securitj^ during his declining years. In attaining 
this he has had to surmount obstacles and bear 
misfortunes, but these he has met with a patience 
and determination that have known no defeat. 
From a log cabin to a neat frame dwelling, and 
then a comfortable and commodious residence, he 
has advanced his family hearthstone: though 
August 29, 1874, the home was devastated by fire. 
The homestead occupies a pleasant site overlook- 
ing the beautiful Seneca, with a romantic ravine 
skirting its shady grounds. Although well fitted 
for grain-growing, the pure springs and grassy 
brooksides of the farm peculiarly adapt it to 
stock-raising, and this has long been a leading 
feature. Fruits flourish in the lake country of 
New York as in few other localities of the Union, 
and to this interest the acres are being largely de- 
voted. 

Otis R. Corbett and Adelia B. Chase were 
united in marriage October i, 1846, and in all 
subsequent efforts to advance home interests she 
has proven a worthy helpmate. She came from 
Oneida County to the town of Reading in that 
year, taking charge of a school, and at its close 
entering upon the duties of wifehood. Her birth 
occurred November 21, 1827, and, the youngest 
of four children, she is now sole survivor of the 
family, the eldest of whom was the late Hiram 
W. Chase, of LaFayette, Ind. Mr. and Mrs. 
Corbett efficiently aided in the establishment of 
the Watkins Methodist Epi.scopal Church, freely 
contributing to all its objects and the erection of 
the fine brick structure now occupied bj- the so- 
ciety. They have been ever active in surround- 
ing the home with the right influences and ex- 
tending advantages to their children, who are as 
follows: Walter S., who was born October 28, 
1847, and who died October 30, 1874: Eliza J., 
whose birth occurred August 13, 1849, and who 
died February 8, 1850: Chester L., who was 
born May 2, 1851: John, vSeptember 23, 1854: 
Mary T., September 15, 1856: Sophia C, Sep- 
tember iS, 1858: George A., July 10, 1862; 



252 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



William R.. April i6, 1864; J. J., November 19, 
1867; and an infant whose birth and death oc- 
curred November 18, 1872. All reside on the 
homestead save John and J. J., who have been 
engaged in newspaper work. 

The parents of Otis R. Corbett were Chester 
Corbett and Sallie (La Fever) Corbett. both 
representatives of pioneer families, whose enter- 
prise laid the foundation of present prosperity. 
The father of Sallie, Lewis La Fever, was a Dea- 
con and a licensed preacher in the initial Baptist 
Church of the town, while Chester Corbett was 
of the fir.st Methodi.st membership. He and his 
father, Asaph Corbett, settled on the lake-side 
farm in Reading in 18 12, coming to this place 
from the town of Catharine, where they were 
tax-payers in 1804. The father of Asaph was 
Robert Corbett, who died at Corbettsville, near 
Binghamton, having reached that locality from 



Milford, Mass., where a Robert Corbett was a 
pioneer, taking part, according to the records 
of the place, in King Philip's War of 1676. 
"Burke's Landed Gentr\" states that there are 
in England thirteen county families of the name 
of Corbett, and adds: "The Corbets or Corbetts 
have been situated in the counties of Salop, Mer- 
ioneth and Worcester for many generations. The 
family is one of the few male lines which trace 
back to a race of the same name in Normandy, 
of whom was Hugh Corbet (or CorbeauJ living 
in 1040. He had four sons, Hugh, Roger, Rob- 
ert and Reginald. Roger came over with Will- 
iam the Conqueror and founded the English fam- 
ily." In "Walford's County Families," a men- 
tion of the Corbetts contains the following state- 
ment: "Moreton Corbet Castle, the ancient fam- 
il\' residence, was burnt in the Civil Wars and is a 
beautiful ruin." 




1 




MRS. JAMKS UDANIELS. 




JAMES O'DANIELS. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



257 



4 

A 



JAMES ODANIELS. 



^ 



A^^ 



P 



(Tames O'DANIELS. Our subject has ar- 
I rived at that age when the dignity of years 
Q) spent in active and productive labor exempts 
him from the weariness of toil at the present time. 
He is now recognized as one of the prominent 
and wealthy retired farmers living in the beauti- 
ful village of Watkins. The estate of which he 
is still the owner comprises ninety- two acres in 
the town of Reading, to which he gives his per- 
sonal supervision. 

Our subject was born in Chester, Orange Coun- 
ty, February 26, 1820, to John R. and Elizabeth 
(Densej O'Daniels, also natives of Orange Coun- 
ty. They were well-to-do people, and the father 
followed farm pursuits during the greater part of 
his life. When their son James was quite young 
they removed to Yates County, where he was 
reared to mature years amid rural scenes. Like 
the youth of that day, he acquired his education 
mainly in the schools of the district, and was 
thoroughly trained to a full knowledge of farm 
work. 

When ready to begin in life for himself, Mr. 
O'Daniels went to Genesee County, this state, 
where he purcha.sed a tract of land, residing 
thereon for a period of three years. At the end 
of that time he disposed of this property, and 
went to Middletown, Orange County, where he 
was engaged in selling stoves for some three 
years and a-half. He then turned his attention 
to gardening and the nursery business in that 
8 



village, carrying this on with good results until 
the fall of 1S59. During his residence there he 
was also engaged in speculating to some extent. 

In the year 1859 Mr. O'Daniels went to Athens, 
Pa. , in the vicinity of which place he purchased 
a tract of land, which he was engaged in culti- 
vating for seven years. On selling out, he went 
to Dundee, Yates County, where he engaged in 
agricultural pursuits, residing there until 1869, 
when he came to Schuyler County. Upon locat- 
ing here he bought property in the town of Read- 
ing, on which he lived until 1891, and that year 
removed to Watkins, where he is now living a 
retired life. 

The marriage of our subject and Miss Mary A. 
Drake was celebrated in Yates County, this state, 
May II, 1844. Mrs. O'Daniels was born in the 
town of Dix, July 5, 1820, and by her union 
with our subject became the mother of three 
children: J. Byron, who resides at Reading Center: 
and Mary A. and Jennie V., both of whom died 
when about twenty-two years of age. The wife 
and mother departed this life February 2, 1886, 
and September 22, 1891, Mr. O'Daniels was mar- 
ried to Mrs. Mary J. (Ketcham) O'Daniels, the 
widow of Francis O'Daniels, his brother. She 
was born in Starkey, Yates County, June 28, 
1824. By her first husband she had a son, Lar- 
mon G., a resident of Watkins. Both our sub- 
ject and wife are members in e.Kcellent standing 
of the Methodi.st Episcopal Church, with which 



258 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



they have been connected for manj* years. Mr. 
O' Daniels ha.s always been actively interested in 
beneficial measures in his community, and has 
been the incumbent of various local offices of 
trust. In politics he is a Republican. 



->-> ^- ^ ^^.-t- 



-i—i—- 



-•-«— 5- 



3UDGE GILBERT WILCOXEN is an attor- 
ney-at-law and well known citizen at Seneca 
Falls, where he has resided almost his entire 
life. He was born in the town of Smithfield, 
Madison County, N. Y., September 25, 1828, 
and his father, Alfred Wilcox en, was born in 
Stratford, Conn., in 1801. Oliver S. Wilcoxen, 
the grandfather of our subject, was also a native 
of Connecticut, but of English ancestry. The 
first of the family to come to America was Tim- 
othy Wilcoxen, who came to this countr3' in 
1620, first locating in Massachusetts, and after- 
wards removing to Connecticut. Alfred Wil- 
coxen married Miss Abbie Gilbert, who was also 
a native of Connecticut, but who was reared in 
the town of Madison, Madison County, N. Y. 
She was the daughter of Ager Gilbert, an early 
settler of Madison County. In the parental fam- 
ily were twelve children, six sons and six daugh- 
ters, of whom Gilbert was third in order of birth. 
The boyhood of our subject was spent in his 
native town, where he attended the district 
school. In 1839 he removed with his parents to 
Seneca Falls and entered the academy at this 
place. Desiring a better education than could 
be obtained in the academy, he entered Hamil- 
ton College and pursued the classical course, 
graduating therefrom in 1852. On leaving col- 
lege, he decided to make the profession of law 
his life work, and with that end in view entered 
the office of Judge J. T. Miller, of Seneca Falls, 
and in 1854 was admitted to the Bar at Rochester. 
Having a taste, however, for literarv work, he 



established the Seneca Falls Reveille, which he 
conducted for four years, showing great ability 
as an editor. 

In i860 Mr. Wilcoxen commenced the practice 
of his profession, in which he has continued un- 
til the present time. He practices in all the 
courts in the state and also in the federal courts. 
As an attorney he has been successful and has 
acted as counsel in many important cases. In 
addition to his legal business, for the past fifteen 
years he has been President of the Seneca Falls 
Savings Bank. He also owns a farm of one hun- 
dred acres in the town of Tyre, which is in a 
good state of cultivation and to which he gives 
his personal attention. 

Mr. Wilcoxen was married, in 1859, to Miss 
Jane Merritt, of Seneca Falls, and a daughter of 
William Merritt, also of this place. Three chil- 
dren have been born unto them, two sons and 
one daughter. In politics Mr. Wilcoxen is a 
Democrat, and from 1872 until 1878 was County 
Judge and Surrogate. For three years previous 
to his election as Judge he served as Supervisor 
of his town, and in 1856 and 1857 he was col- 
lector of canal-toll at Seneca F'alls. Fraternally 
he is a member ot the Free and Accepted Masons. 
Both he and his wife are members of the First 
Presbyterian Church. 



I®). ^M^.... _^ 



-© 



Gl BRAM B. JOHNSON. The town of Rom- 
/ I ulus has been the birthplace of men and 
/ I women distinguished in literature, art and 
science, and men who have periled their lives on 
the field of battle, with honor to themselves and 
to the country of their birth. It has likewise 
produced men and women who in a quiet, simple 
way have passed along life's journey content to 
fill a small niche in the temple of fame, or, if need 
be, to pass to their graves unknown of men, but 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



259 



with the assurance that "up yonder" their good 
deeds are known and the record properly kept. 
Among the latter class may be mentioned Abram 
B. John.son, who was born in the town of Romulus 
April 2, 1832, and who from early childhood 
toiled early and late, earned his bread by the 
sweat of his brow, lived in such a manner as to 
win the love and respect of those with whom he 
was associated, and when the final summons came 
passed to his reward. 

Isaac Johnson, the grandfather of our subject, 
came to Seneca County from Orange County in 
a very early day. Here he purchased a tract of 
land, which he cleared and cultivated, and here 
passed the remainder of his life. His son, Stephen 
B. Johnson, was born in the town of Romulus 
and here grew to manhood. He married Maria 
Bray, and to them was born only one child, 
Abram B., the subject of this sketch. Stephen 
B. Johnson was a large land-owner in the town of 
Romulus, and in his day was very prominent in 
the affairs of his county. He was well known 
throughout its length and breadth, and was a 
highly respected citizen. His death occurred 
some years ago. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on the 
home farm. In the summer he assisted in the 
farm work, and in the winter attended the dis- 
trict schools, remaining at home until his mar- 
riage. December 24, 1856, he married Miss Cath- 
arine Sayer, who was also a native of the town of 
Romulus, and a daughter of Edward vSa\-er, an 
early settler and highly respected citizen of the 
county. Four children came to bless their union: 
Clara, the wife of George Carroll, who resides in 
the town of Ovid; Stephen V. R., who is en- 
gaged in farming in the town of Ovid; and Luella 
and Mary, who are yet at home. 

Soon after their marriage, the \-oung couple 
took up their residence on the old homestead 
where our subject grew to manhood, and here 
they continued to reside until the death of Mr. 
Johnson, which occurred January 10, 1893. The 
farm, which comprised three hundred acres of ex- 
cellent land, all in one body, was alwa\-s kept in 
fine order and was one of the most productive 
farms in Seneca Countv. Here he carried on 



general farming, devoting his time to such prod- 
ucts as he deemed the mo.st profitable, and also 
exten.sively engaged in buying and .selling stock 
for some years. His political affiliations were 
with the Democratic party, and although never 
an ofiice-.seeker, he was yet interested in the 
political questions of the day, and believed it the 
dutj' of every citizen to at least di.scharge his 
duties at the polls. His death was mourned not 
alone by his immediate family, but by a large 
circle of friends throughout the county. 







yyiRS. ELIZA ANN MANN. Among the 
Y aged and venerable ladies of the town of 
(9 Romulus, Seneca County, is Mrs. Eliza 
Mann. She is the daughter of Josiah Verkes, 
who was born on the 3d of August, in the open- 
ing year of this century, and died while still a 
young man, April 28, 1S41. 

Mrs. Mann, our subject, was born March 12, 
1829, nearly three years after the marriage of her 
father, which occurred December 26, 1826. In 
the pride and beauty of her early womanhood, 
March 29, 1854, she married Thomas Mann. 
This marriage proved a happy one, and was 
blessed with the coming of nine children into the 
family circle. Fletcher and Sidney, the two eldest 
children, are residents of South Dakota. Thomas, 
the third son, was born October 30, 1S62, and 
died in the same month thirty-one years later. 
George B. was born May 27, 1872. Madge is 
the wife of Frank Williams. Sarah L., born 
November 22, i860, is unmarried and remains at 
home. Her next younger daughter, born five 
years later, October 25, 1865, is engaged in the 
noble profession of teaching. Lida, the wife of 
Hamlin Covert, makes her home at Ellen Beach. 
Minnie J., the youngest child of the family, still 
resides at home. Mrs. Mann remained on her 



26o 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



father's place until her marriage. About ten 
years afterward she and her faniilj- removed to 
their present location, a farm of eighty-three acres, 
one mile from Romulus. 




y /I ICHAEL EGAN, one of the representative 
y and enterprising citizens of the town of 
(g Hector, Schuj-ler County, was born in 
County Westmeath, Ireland, and is a son of 
Thomas Egan. When a boy of fifteen he left 
home and embarked in a sailing-vessel for the 
United States, and after a voyage of four weeks 
landed in New York, a stranger in a strange 
land. During the voyage the "black plague" 
appeared on board and about fifty persons died. 

Not finding employment on arriving at New 
York, our subject proceeded to New Haven, 
Conn., and near that place secured work with a 
physician. After remaining in his employ a short 
time, he returned to New York State and worked 
in a brickyard near Albany, where he remained 
one season. He then came to Schuyler County, 
where he formed the acquaintance of Lydia A. 
Chapman, and their marriage was celebrated 
October I, 1857. She is a daughter of Leander 
Chapman, who came to this county from Otsego 
County with two brothers, one of whom, Elihu 
Chapman, located here. The latter's family now 
resides in Elmira. To Mr. and Mrs. Egan four 
children have been born: Charles and Alonzo, 
who are now engaged in farming in the town of 
Hector; William, who is likewise engaged in 
agricultural pursuits; and Katie, the wife of 
Moses Bo wen, who lives upon and works the 
home farm. 

Before his marriage Mr. Egan had purchased 
a farm in Bradford County, Pa., to which he re- 
moved with his young bride, and remained there 
nine years, during which time three of their chil- 



dren were born. He then sold out and returned 
to Schuyler County, purchasing the old Chap- 
man Farm, where Mrs. Egan was born, and on 
which she has resided all her life, with the excep- 
tion of nine years spent in Pennsylvania. The 
farm at that tune consisted of seventy-five acres, 
to which Mr. Egan has added b}- subsequent 
purchases one hundred and twenty-five acres, 
giving him an excellent farm of two hundred acres, 
on which he is engaged in general farming and 
stock-raising. He has also a fine orchard and 
vineyard upon the place. In the past twentj- 
years he has bought and sold a great man)- head 
of horses, and has handled a great deal of other 
stock In addition to his farming he has engaged 
to some extent in the lumber business, cutting 
and sawing timber from his own land and placing 
the lumber upon the market. He still has .some 
fine timber on his farm. 

In politics Mr. Egan is a Democrat in national 
affairs, but on local questions he is quite liberal, 
voting for the man he thinks best qualified to fill 
the ofiice. Mr. and Mrs. Egan are members of 
the Baptist Church, in the work of which they 
are active, and are greatly interested in the 
spread of the Gospel. For some years he was an 
active member of the Good Templars, and though 
not at present connected with the order he is 
deeply interested in the temperance cause. 



— IX^ 




?!+£•♦- 



(Tames H. GOULD. There is no enterprise 
I that has more materially promoted the manu- 
C2/ facturing and commercial interests of Seneca 
F'alfs than The Goulds' Manufacturing Company, 
which, for j-ears after its establishment in 1848, 
was known as Downs & Co.'s Pump Works. 
Its history has been one of constant success, and 
it is now one of the largest concerns of the kind 
in the entire world. Steady employment is tur- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



261 



nished four hundred hands, and the manufactur- 
ing plant covers two acres, upon which twel\-e 
large buildings are situated. 

The products of the factory embrace a general 
line of iron and brass lift and force pumps, in- 
cluding cistern and pitcher pumps, well and force 
pumps, single and double acting; hand and house 
force pumps, hand and power rotary pumps, 
boiler feed pumps, hydraulic rams, iron and brass 
pumping cylinders of every style, patent garden 
pumps, fire engines, etc., the different styles and 
kinds manufactured making an aggregate of 
nearly one thousand. The mechanical equip- 
ment ot the works is complete, every facility 
being provided for the satisfactory management 
of the business. In order to avoid any possible 
defect, all pumps are examined by an expert be- 
fore being shipped; the couplings are all tool-cut, 
and all castings are from metal patterns. A force 
of competent hydraulic engineers is employed, 
and special pumping apparatus of every kind is 
manufactured to order. 

In 1890 this company began manufacturing 
triplex power pumps, which are now recognized 
to be the most efficient and economical type of 
power pumps ever built. This department of 
the company's business emploj-s fully one hun- 
dred men. The pumps have become so popular 
and so much in demand that several other manu- 
facturers have taken them up. This company is 
the onlj- one in the United States that can show 
an electrically operated water-works plant, it 
having installed one in San Antonio, Tex., in 
1892, and one in Canaudaigua, N. Y., in 1895. 
The power house and pumping plant are about 
four miles apart, but are operated automaticallj- 
by means of switches. 

In addition to the factory in Seneca Falls and 
the warehouse at No. 16 Murray Street, New York, 
the firm has branches in Chicago and St. Louis; 
London, England; and Bremen, Germany. They 
also have representatives in every civilized coun- 
try. The success of the works was due origin- 
ally to Seabury S. Gould, father of our subject, 
and for many years President of the company, 
a man of keenness of intellect and decision of 
character. Since his death the position of Presi- 



dent has been held by James H., who has con- 
stantly added to the value of the plant and to the 
reputation of the products. 

In the city where he still resides, the subject of 
this notice was born October 21, 1844, being the 
son of Seabury S. and Hannah B. (Hoskins) 
Gould. His father, who was a son of David 
Gould, was born and reared in Connecticut, re- 
moved thence to Seneca Falls in 1835, and some 
time afterward became interested in the firm of 
Downs & Co. This establishment was founded 
in 1848, and was carried on under that name until 
1872, when it was incorporated as The Goulds' 
Manufacturing Company. S. vS. Gould retained 
his connection with the concern until shortly be- 
fore his death, which occurred in 1886, at the 
age of seventy-four. His wife is still living, and 
occupies thefamih' homestead, a substantial brick 
dwelling situated in Seneca Falls. As was her 
husband, she is a member of the First Presby- 
terian Church and a liberal contributor to its 
various enterprises. She is a niece of Charles L. 
Hoskins, for many years a proniinent merchant 
of this place, and still a resident of the cit\\ 

Among five children, James H. Gould is the 
eldest son. He obtained his early education in the 
schools of Seneca Flails and prepared for college in 
the academy here. In 1861 he entered Yale Col- 
lege, where he pursued his studies for some time. 
Upon leaving that institution he .spent .some time 
in New York City. In 1868 he entered The 
Goulds' Manufacturing Company as general man- 
ager, and held that and other positions until he 
became its President in 1886. As a business man, 
he is keen, sagacious, possessing shrewd discern- 
ment and foresight, methodical in his habits, and 
careful in his management of affairs. In 1890 
he was chosen President of the Exchange Na- 
tional Bank of Seneca Falls, of which he had 
been Vice-President since 1885, and .still fills the 
former office. In addition, he is connected with 
other important institutions and industries of the 
place. 

In 1870 Mr. Gould was united in marriage 
with Miss Emma A. Sil.sby, daughter of H. C. 
SiLsby. They had one child, Mary S. In 1879 
Mrs. Emma A. Gould died, and in 1882 our sub- 



262 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ject married Miss M. P. Perry, of Brooklyn, 
daughter of Joseph A. Perry. Of this union 
two children were born, Frederick S. and Emily 
P., both of whom are living. The family oc- 
cupies one of the handsome homes of Seneca 
Falls, a substantial brick structure, surrounded 
by well kept and attractive grounds. Politically 
Mr. Gould is a stanch Republican and recog- 
nized as one of the influential men in this part of 
the state. 




QENSSELAER SCHUYLER is the owner of 
Ua one of the finest fruit farms in Seneca Coun- 
n\ ty. It is beautifully located on the Lake 
Road, town of Seneca Falls, and is well culti- 
vated in every particular. Mr. Schuyler was 
born in New York City, March 4, 182 1, and is 
the son of Peter and Elizabeth (Ware ) Schuyler. 
The father was born in Belleville, N.J,, and early 
in life began following the sea. He was also 
trained in military tactics, but, being in love 
with life on the water, he did not follow up his 
studies in that line. He entered the service as a 
sailor, and was promoted through the various 
stages until he became captain of a vessel, and 
when the British blockaded the port of Sandy 
Hook he ran the blockade and succeeded in 
reaching port. 

While on land Captain Schuyler organized a 
company known in history as the Jersey Blues, 
and afterwards ran the blockade under cover of 
a severe thunderstorm in the night, l^pon reach- 
ing the sea they entered the service of the Gov- 
ernment as privateers in the War of 18 12. The 
motto of the vessel was "United we stand, divided 
we fall." The father was an expert in the man- 
agement of his vessel, and on one occasion, when 
running the blockade, he called to the captain of 
another vessel telling him that if he wanted to 
get through safely he had better shorten his sail. 



That gentleman, thinking his knowledge of vessels 
was about as extensive as Captain Schuyler's, 
replied that he would run under first. Our hero 
did as he had instructed the other to do, and in 
consequence reached port in safety, while his 
comrade was never seen again. 

Captain Schuyler made his home in New York 
Cit}- while following the sea. He traded for a 
time in the East Indies, and was also captain on a 
packet running to Liverpool. Previous to this 
time he had allowed his salary to accumulate, 
and instead of drawing it each month let it re- 
main with his employers. They became bank- 
rupted, however, and he lo.st all his savings. 
His last voyage was a trip to China, where he 
contracted yellow fever, which left him in a verv 
feeble state. He returned home as soon as he 
was able, but it was not long before his death 
occurred, the result of pneumonia. This sad 
event took place when our subject was about six 
years of age. 

The parental family included eight children, 
of whom Rensselaer, of this history, was the 
youngest but one. Of this hou.sehold only two 
are now living, the brother of our subject being 
James, who makes his home in Holli.ster, Cal. 
Mrs. Schuyler departed this life the year before 
her husband. 

On being doubly orphaned, our subject was 
adopted by a brother of his father, Aaron Schuy- 
ler, with whom he made his home for many 
years. He attended school in New York City 
and acquired a very fair education. In 1833, 
when he was in his twelfth year, his uncle came 
to Seneca County, and, purchasing land, gave 
his attention to farming. This industry was 
somewhat new to him, as all his life he had been 
a .sea-coaster. Here Rens-selaer also went to 
school winters and aided in the work on the 
farm during the summer months. He became a 
very fine penman, and when in school he was 
often petitioned by the teacher to give instruction 
in this study to the other pupils. 

At the age of seventeen our subject appren- 
ticed himself to Mr. Maurice to learn the trade 
of a carpenter and joiner. On this occasion he 
refused to be bound by any contract, as he told 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



263 



that gentleman if he did not use him well papers 
would not hold him, and if he did, he would stay 
with him even to the last hour. He remained 
in his employ two months over four years, the 
time which had been agreed upon, during which 
time he became an expert in the use of tools. 
He commenced working for others when nine- 
teen years old, and very soon was placed in 
charge of over forty-two men. This was during 
the building of the bridge across Cayuga Lake 
for the New York Central Road. 

In 1847 Mr. Schuyler and Miss Judith Norris, 
of the town of Seneca Falls, were united in mar- 
riage. She was born in England and was brought 
to America when a child by her parents. Two 
years after his marriage our subject went to 
California, the journey being undertaken in the 
brig "Mexican," which had once been captured 
by pirates. He was eight and a-half months 
making the journey around Cape Horn, and up- 
on arriving in the Golden State began working 
in the mines. He was thus employed for a year 
and a-half, when he returned home bj' wa}' of the 
Isthmus, being en route at this time only one 
month. 

After his return to Seneca Falls, Mr. Schuyler 
established a grocery- business in Seneca Falls, 
and for four years commanded a good trade. In 
1856 he was appointed State Inspector of Govern- 
ment Works, holding that position during the 
enlargement of the Seneca & Erie Canal. He 
was the incumbent of this position about a year, 
after which he purchased his present home. 
Ever since boyhood he had been greatly inter- 
ested in fruit-raising, and when he had property 
of his own determined to engage in this delight- 
ful business. 

In 1892 our subject was elected to the office 
of Superintendent of the Poor, to serve for a term 
of three years. He had previously .served as 
Overseer of the Poor in the town of Seneca Falls 
for the same length of time. While in the vil- 
lage of Seneca Falls he was a member of the 
Board of Trustees, and was also the successful 
candidate for the office of Excise Commissioner. 

Mr. Schuyler cast his first Presidential vote for 
Henry Clay. He, however, changed his views 



about the time the war opened and ever since has 
been a stanch Democrat. He now has in his 
possession an old cane used by General Jackson, 
which was sent to him by his cousin, Schuyler 
Underbill, whose home was near the "Hermit- 
age," the old Jackson residence. He also has a 
cane made from a part of the frigate "Constitu- 
tion," with the name of all the Presidents down 
to Garfield carved upon it. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler there were born 
three children. Robert A. , who was born Novem- 
ber 3, 1849, attended the academy at Seneca 
Falls, and upon completing his literarj' educa- 
tion took a business course in the Commercial 
College of Auburn. He is now Cashier for the 
New York Central, Lake Shore and two other 
corporations, with headquarters at Suspension 
Bridge. He has a daughter, Mary. Our subject's 
second child, Marj' E., is now deceased. Judith 
Gertrude also attended the academy at Seneca 
Falls, and for a immber oT years followed teach- 
ing. Our subject is a member of Trinity Epis- 
copal Church, with which denomination his an- 
cestors were identified for many generations. In 
1852 Mr. Schuyler became a Mason, joining 
Pocahontas Lodge No. 211, in the village of 
Seneca Falls, and being one of the first to be 
initiated after the lodge was organized. He has 
filled nearly all the chairs in that particular lodge 
and bears the distinction of being its oldest mem- 
ber. 



(^ 



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-O' 



RICHARD DEY, M. D., a well known phy- 
sician and surgeon residing at Romulus, 
was born in the town of Fayette, September 
17, 1832, and is a daughter of Gilbert and Mary 
(Kenner) Dey. His father was a native of New 
Jersey, and by occupation was a farmer and car- 
penter. He married Mary Kenner in New Jer- 
-sey, and removed to Seneca County in 181 3. 
They became the parents of six children: Han- 



264 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



nah, Peter N. , Mary, Gilbert, Richard and Henry. 
The subject of this sketch was bom and reared 
on the farm, and, in common with farmer lads in 
general, was required to assist in the labors of the 
farm as soon as his age would permit. In his 
boyhood and youth he attended the district schools 
in the neighborhood where the family resided, 
and remained at home until after he had attained 
his majority. He has been twice married, first 
in September, 1861, to Miss Mary J. Henion, 
who died seven months after their marriage, and 
in 1868 to Miss Emma vSalyer, by whom he has 
three children: Gilberts., who is a mechanical 
draughtsman residing in Rochester; De Witt, 
who resides in Romulus; and E. Grace, at home. 
When twenty-one years of age, our subject 
took a short course in the academy at Seneca 
Falls. Previous to this, however, he began teach- 
ing in the district schools, continuing thus en- 
gaged for ten years. During the last two years 
he also read medicine with Dr. George W. Davis, 
of vSeneca Falls. He then entered the Univer- 
sity of Michigan, where he remained one year, 
and then attended the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons in New York City. The War for the 
Union was in progress at that time, and, although 
he had not yet received his diploma, he was ap- 
pointed Acting Assistant Surgeon of the United 
States army, April 15, 1864, and was stationed 
for a short time at Washington. From there he 
was sent to Belle Plains, and later was on the 



hospital transport. In the fall of 1864 he re- 
turned to college, from which he was graduated 
in the spring of 1865. 

On receiving his diploma, Dr. Dey commenced 
the practice of his profession at Seneca Falls, 
where he remained two years, and in 1867 came 
to Romulus, where he has since continued to re- 
side, with the exception of three years .spent in 
Waterloo. His success has equaled his antici- 
pations, and he has a practice of which he may 
well be proud. He is a constant reader of medi- 
cal works and papers, and keeps well po.sted in 
his profession. He is not one of tlje kind that 
believes that all medical skill and knowledge 
rested with those in the past, but believes that 
new discoveries are being constantly made, and 
does not hesitate to adopt such theories as may 
seem practical, or which have been thoroughly 
tested by others. In the proceedings and discus- 
sions of the various medical associations of which 
he is a member he takes an active part. In poli- 
tics he has always been a Republican, and cast his 
first Presidential vote for John C. Fremont, the 
great "Path-Finder," and first Presidential can- 
didate of the Republican party. While interested 
in political affairs, and believing it the duty of 
every citizen to take part, he has never .sought or 
desired public office for himself Fraternally he 
is a member of the Masonic order, and religiously 
he is a member of the Presbvterian Church. 




1 




THOMAS S. WILCOX. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



267 




'HOMAS S. WILCOX, one of the most pros- 
perous and advanced farmers of Seneca. 
County, was born in this county May i6, 
1 82 1, and has lived here continuously through- 
out his long and useful life. His parents, Jotham 
and Louisa (Scudder) Wilcox, were both natives 
of Essex County, N. J., where they were mar- 
ried. In 1819 they removed to Seneca County, 
this state, where the\- secured two farms, of one 
hundred acres each, one of which was beautiful- 
ly located on Seneca Lake, and the other in 
Romulus. Upon the former they resided, and 
there was born the subject of this article, who 
was the only one of their five children who sur- 
vived them. 

In 1848 Jotham Wilcox succumbed to a stroke 
of apoplexy, being then fifty -eight years of age, 
and was interred in the Baptist Graveyard. His 
funeral is still remembered by manj- of the older 
residents, it having been attended b)' a large cou- 
counse of people. His keen intellect and natural 
gift of oratory had gained him several nomina- 
tions as a legislative candidate, honors which he 
had always declined. His faithful wife survived 
him but three years and was laid to rest by his 
side. Our subject also mourns the loss of two 
brothers and two sisters. Eliza married Ben- 
jamin Bartlett, with whom she lived on the Rom- 
ulus farm until he moved to Ovid; later they 
located in Niagara Count)', where the wife died. 



Mary Jane became the wife of Edward I. Judd, 
of Romulus, at which place she passed to the bet- 
ter land. Daniel farmed the place near Romulus, 
and died in the village of that name. Richard 
lived and died on the homestead bordering upon 
the lake. 

March 26, 1846, Mr. Wilcox led to the altar 
one of the belles of the county, Miss Elizabeth 
Abbott, a daughter of Elijah Abbott. To-day 
she and one brother are all that remain of a fam- 
ily of eleven. The first three years of a life of 
unbroken hymeneal bliss thej' spent on the 
lake farm, but in 1849, a year after the death 
of the father of Mr. Wilcox, they removed to the 
desirable one hundred and twenty-five acre farm 
in the town of Varick, near MacDougall, upon 
which they have since resided. In the forty-six 
years which have intervened Mr. Wilcox has im- 
proved the tract until it blossoms as the rose. 
His house is one of the finest in the town. Lake 
Seneca is but two and one-half miles awaj', and 
from the observatory w^hich crowns the home one 
can catch glimpses of seven counties. Taken all 
in all, the homestead of Mr. Wilcox is a place of 
which any man, however wealthy, might well be 
proud. 

The union of our subject and his wife has been 
bles.sed with three sons: Hermaini and Elijah, 
both of whom graduated at Rochester College, 
and Richard C, who died at the age of six years. 



268 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Hermann, the eldest, chose the medical profes- 
sion and took a course at the State University at 
Ann Arbor, and also at Bellevue Medical College. 
He practiced medicine successfully in New York 
City for five years, or until he married the beau- 
tiful and only daughter of Mr. Hartmann, a 
cloth manufacturer, when he became a partner 
in the business of his father-in-law. Since then 
he has embarked in the real-estate business, and 
is to-day one of the promiuent dealers in New 
York real estate. The second son, Elijah, is also 
in business in New York City. He married 
Miss Clara Hiatt, a young lady of Brooklyn, who 
at her death left two pretty daughters, Florence 
and Edith, who flit about the home of their pa- 
ternal grandparents like two rays of sunshine. 

In politics Mr. Wilcox was a Democrat prior 
to the war, but since then he has voted the Re- 
publican ticket. Although he never desired 
office, he was once elected Justice of the Peace, 
but did not qualify for the office. Throughout 
their entire lives he and his wife have been mem- 
bers of the Baptist Church, and Mr. Wilcox is 
one of the pillars of the Baptist Church at West 
Romulus. 



•♦>^ 




JiC-t- 



n ENJAMIN HENDRICKS. If the farmer 
IC\ is essential to the life of a community, pro- 
C^ viding food and clothing for all, the man 
who makes trade and barter po.ssible and easy is 
quite as useful and nece.ssary. Trade and com- 
merce have made it possible for man to rise from 
the level of savage life to the refinement of 
modern civilization, and in this line the life of 
our subject has been spent. With no sound of 
trumpets and noisy acclamations in the air, he 
has gone on his way. taking the part of a sub- 
stantial citizen and a good friend and neighbor. 



He was born in the town of Fayette, Seneca 
County, May 2, 1830, and has been engaged in 
the affairs of this county all his life. 

Samuel Hendricks, our subject's father, was a 
native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1801, 
coming with his parents four years later to make 
his home in the woods in the town of Fayette, 
where they followed general farming. When 
quite a young man the father married Miss Al- 
mira Chadwick, of Granville, Ohio, and later 
located near Waterloo, where he engaged in the 
tanning business for a number of years. His 
death occurred in 1859, in Fayette. 

Benjamin Hendricks, the grandfather, was born 
in Northampton County, Pa., his ancestors com- 
ing from Holland, and settling in the colony early 
in the century. He was A.ssemblyman in 1826, 
in which year he was also made a Mason. His 
wife outlived him about two years. The grand- 
father and Vice-President Hendricks were sec- 
ond cousins. 

Benjamin Hendricks, our subject, was the sec- 
ond of four children, three sons and one daugh- 
ter. One son died in infancy, and Albert died in 
1875, .so that of the old and happj' childhood 
family Elizabeth is the only one living beside 
himself. He attended the public school and 
finished his school days at Waterloo Academy, 
and after leaving school he entered his father's 
tannery, continuing there until 1868. He then 
formed a partnership with John Shiley, carrying 
on a mercantile business, under the firm name of 
Hendricks & Shiley, until 1891, when Mr. Hen- 
dricks sold out his interest in the business and 
retired from active labors. 

In 1856 Miss Asenath Bacon, daughter of 
George Bacon, of Paincsville, Ohio, became our 
subject's wife, and they lived together very hap- 
pily until 1 89 1, when she was called to her 
heavenly home. Of this union one daughter 
survives; she is now the wife of George Keeler, 
and they make their home in Waterloo. 

In politics Mr. Hendricks was formerly an old- 
line Whig, but of late has found the Democratic 
party more nearly accomplishing his political 
ideals, and so has largely acted with it. He has 
been Justice of the Peace for six years, and once 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



269 



was Town Clerk of Fayette. Socially he has 
taken much interest in the affairs of the com- 
munity, and its social and religious organizations 
have found in him a faithful friend. He is a 
member of Seneca Lodge No. 113, F.&. A. M., 
of which he was Master for three years, and of 
Salem Town Chapter No. 73, R. A. M. 

Mr. Hendricks is a devoted member of St. 
Paul's Episcopal Church, with which his wife 
was also connected. 



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HENRY G. DAY. Among those of foreign 
birth who are closely associated with the 
agriculturists of Seneca County, we should 
not fail to mention Mr. Day, who, although 
young in years, is old in experience as a farmer. 
He is the proprietor of a splendid estate in the 
town of Fayette, on which he has some full-blood- 
ed Guernsey cattle and the best grade of horses. 
He raises considerable grain on his farm, and is 
doing excellent work in developing its resources. 

Mr. Daj' was born near Bristol, England, Feb- 
ruary 20, 1861, his parents being Charles and 
Mary (Bizley) Day, also natives of the British 
Isles. Henry was a lad of nine years when they 
determined to try their fortunes in America, and 
on arriving here they located first at Port Byron, 
Cayuga County. They made their home there 
for the following nine years, when Mr. Day pur- 
chased property just west of Waterloo and moved 
his family to Seneca County. In 1876 Mr. Day 
went to England with his family on a visit, and 
returned to America in the .spring of the follow- 
ing year. 

The subject of this sketch was given oppor- 
tunit)' for gaining a good common-school educa- 
tion, although the advantages at that time were 
very inferior to those of the present day. He re- 
sided with his parents until attaining his majority, 
when he established a home of his own and was 



married, August 22, 1888, to Miss M. Ella 
Shearston, who was then residing in Lockport, 
Niagara County, N. Y. She was born Julj- 4, 
1862, at Weedsport, Cayuga County, and was 
the daughter of Edward and Maria (Durston) 
Shearston, natives of England. , Mr. and Mrs. 
Shearston were born near Axbridge and came to 
America prior to their marriage. The}' now 
make their home in Lockport, where the father 
is engaged as a miller, which has been his busi- 
ness through life. 

Our subject had purchased sixty-two acres of 
land where he now resides in April preceding his 
marriage, and on this tract has since made his 
home. He has closel)' applied himself to farm- 
ing and stock-raising, and with what success may 
be inferred by a glance at his farm. His esti- 
mable wife has been a helpmate indeed, and has 
aided his every effort. Mr. Day is a self-made 
man, and has every reason to be proud of his 
energy and perseverance in gathering about him 
so many of the comforts and conveniences of life. 
To them have been born a son and daughter: 
W'illard Henry, whose birth occurred July 3, 
i8gi; and Clara M., born August 16, 1895. 

Mr. Day is a Republican in his political belief, 
casting his first Presidential vote for James G. 
Blaine in 1884. Mr. Day is a valued member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church at Waterloo, of 
which he is a supporter and attendant. Mr. Day 
is especially interested in educational work in his 
district. 



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•^ a^ *^ •!• t^*^ t^ t^ cj* (^ 4^ lyt •!• •!• (^ •}• 



"Tsl 



EHARLES L. HOSKINS. As one of the 
oldest living residents of Seneca Falls, and 
as one of the pioneer business men of the 
I place, the subject of this sketch is entitled to es- 
pecial mention on the pages of this work. His 
I business career, which covered a period of more 



270 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



than a halt-ceutury, was one reflecting the great- 
est credit upon his energy, honesty and judgment, 
and through his untiring labors he became the 
possessor of a comfortable competency. His de- 
clining years are being spent retired from active 
cares and surrounded bj- everj- comfort which can 
enhance the pleasure of existence. 

The son of Ebenezer and Eliza (Dixon ) Hos- 
kins, the subject of this sketch was born in Lan- 
sing, N. Y., October 16, 1799. Until twelve 
years of age he attended the common schools of 
his native town, after which, in 1812, he took a 
three-months course at Auburn, N. Y. On leav- 
ing school he connnenced his mercantile experi- 
ence as a clerk in his brother's general store, and 
continued clerking until his twentj'-first year, 
when he came to Seneca County and started in 
business for himself at Bearytown. In 1829 he 
removed his business to Seneca Falls, where he 
embarked in merchandising on the corner of Cay- 
uga and Fall Streets. Here he built a fine store 
building and continued actively engaged in busi- 
ness until 1S80, when he retired, transferring his 
business to his son, Lansing S. For some years 
he was in partnership with his brother Ebenezer. 

Although giving his time and attention to his 
mercantile business, Mr. Hoskins was al.so in- 
terested in the various industries of the place. He 
owned one-third of The Seneca Falls Paper Mill, 
being financially interested in it for three or four 
years, and was one of the first Board of Directors of 
the Exchange Bank of Seneca Falls, with which he 
was prominently connected for a number of years. 
For several years he was President of the Seneca 
Falls Gas Company, and was also one of its Di- 
rectors. 

In 1820 Mr. Hoskins married Miss Sophia Gid- 
dings, by whom he has three daughters, Frances, 
Laura and Annett. After the death of his first wife 
our subject married Eliza Goodwin, by whom he 
had one daughter, Eliza. His second wife also 
died, and he later married Mary Woolsey, by 
whom he had three children, Lan.sing, Helen 
and Katharine. 

In early life Mr. Hoskins was a Whig, and in 
1820 was appointed and served as Treasurer of 
Seneca County. He was also Po.stmaster at 



Bearytown in 1824. On the dissolution of the 
Whig party he became a Republican and has 
been identified with that party up to the present 
time. After casting his first vote for John Quincy 
Adams he voted at every Presidential election 
up to 1892, when he cast his vote for Benjamin 
Harrison. For several years he was United States 
Loan Commissioner for Seneca County, receiving 
his appointment from the Governor. 

Mr. Hoskins is now in his ninety-seventh year, 
but is a well preserved man, and with his mental 
faculties unimpaired. He looks after his own busi- 
ness affairs and also after those of his two widowed 
daughters, and almost every day his familiar face 
is seen on the streets of Seneca Falls. For sixtj-- 
six years he has been a resident of the village and 
has worked early and late, not alone for his own 
private interest, but for the material interest of 
the place. No man in Seneca County is better 
known and none more highly respected than Mr. 
Hoskins. 




N.\YJA P. TRAVIS, besides being one of 
the substantial residents of Seneca Couutj-, 
deserves special mention in this volume for 
the valiant sen^ice which he rendered his country 
during the late war. He started out in life with 
but little means, but now has the satisfaction of 
knowing his estate is one of the best improved in 
the town. Mr. Travis does not engage in any 
active farm work, but is now living retired on 
his fine property in the town of Seneca Falls. 

Mr. Travis was born near Bridgeport, on the 
banksof Lake Cayuga, September 28, 1829, His 
parents, William and Lucinda (Brown) Travis, 
were people in limited circumstances, but the fa- 
ther, who was a day laborer, owned a house on 
the shores of Cayuga Lake. Hayja was the 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



271 



third in order of birth of a family of five, four of 
whom grew to mature years, and of these three 
are now hving. 

The father dying when our subject was a lad 
of fourteen years, he was obhged to assist in the 
support of the family, and in order to do this 
worked out by the month, carrying his small 
salary home at the end of the four weeks to his 
mother, to be used as she thought best. He re- 
mained at home working for the others until the 
year prior to attaining his majority, when he 
started out for himself. About that time, or 
July 4, 1850, he was married to Miss Maria 
Stow, who was born in the town of Seneca Falls, 
November 17, 1832, and who was the daughter 
of Olvin and Susan (Moses) Stow. 

Soon after his union with iMiss Stow our sub- 
ject began keeping house at Bridgeport, and con- 
tinued his labors b}' the day and month, work- 
ing at whatever he could find to do that was hon- 
orable. During the progress of the late war, he 
enlisted, in August, 1864, and was mustered in 
as a member of the Fifteenth Regiment of En- 
gineers. They were assigned to duty about Cit}- 
Point, engaged in building bridges, forts, breast- 
works, etc. , and were twice ordered to the front, 
but before they could make a charge the order 
was countermanded. On one occasion Mr. Travis 
was severely wounded while on a transport, be- 
getting his hand caught in the side door of the 
boat. 

Two years after the close of the war our sub- 
ject, in company with his brother Charles, made 
a purchase of one hundred and fourteen acres of 
land, a portion of which is now comprised in the 
home estate. Fifty-two acres of this propertj^ 
were later disposed of at a handsome advance in 
price, and subsequently our subject purchased 
his brother's interest in the place. He is now 
the owner of sixty-two and one-half acres, bear- 
ing good improvements. This he has cultivated 
in a profitable maimer, and is now enabled to live 
retired from active work of any kind. 

To our subject and his wife there were born 
three children. Ellen, who married Hoyt Ter- 
rell, makes her home in Richmond, Va., where 
her husband is a millwright; they have two 



daughters, Martha M. and Lulu. William H., a 
farmer in the town of Seneca Falls, is the father 
of three children, Bessie, Harold and Mary. 
Olvin P., who was born December 25, i860, de- 
parted this life March 16, 1S72. In politics Mr. 
Travis is independent, voting for the best man 
irrespective of party, and sociallj- belongs to 
Cross Post No. 78, G. A. R., in the work of 
which he is actively interested. 



mm 



(TOHN VANCE CRANE, a farmer residing in 
I the town of Varick, was born on the farm 
\Z) where he now resides, April 18, 1820, and is 
a son of John and Anna (Williams) Crane, both 
natives of Morristown, N. J., and who emi- 
grated to Seneca County in the fall of 181 7, with 
a family of four children. Prior to this, how- 
ever, Daniel and Rachel (Marsh) Crane, the 
grandparents of our subject, located in the west- 
ern part of the town of Romulus. They were 
well advanced in years, and came here to spend 
their last days. The Marsh family came about 
the same time as did Daniel Crane. 

John Crane, the father of our subject, was in 
very limited circumstances when he came to 
Seneca County, and for some jears engaged in 
teaming. He made thirteen trips to and from 
New Jersey, bringing people who wished to set- 
tle in Seneca County. In the spring of 1818 he 
secured twenty-one acres of land, which he began 
to clear, and which he added to by subsequent 
purchase, making a farm of fifty-two acres. In 
addition to conducting his farm, he also burned 
charcoal. His death occurred in 1848, at the 
age of sixty-one years, his wife having died three 
years previously . 

The parental family included nine children. 
Deborah, who married Gresham Wolverton, died 
in Romulus; Abner W. located in the town of 



272 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Covert, where he died; Abbie married James Os- 
born, removed to Lenawee County, Mich., and 
there died; Elizabeth married Alonzo Smead, re- 
moved to Illinois, and died in 1892; John V. is 
our subject; Thomas M. located in Romulus and 
there died; Daniel, whose son Charles \'. is the 
Postmaster at Romulus, died iu 187 1; Anna mar- 
ried Daniel Church, and died in June, 1S95: and 
Stephen, who is a Univer.salist minister, resides 
in Earlville. 111. All lived to maturity, but only 
two now survive. 

The subject of this sketch lived on the farm 
and took care of his father until his death, when 
he purcha.sed the interests of the other heirs of 
the homestead, and now has a good farm of nine- 
ty acres. Politicall)' he is a Democrat, and has 
served as Assessor of the town for twenty-eight 
or thirty years, and two terms as Super\-isor, 
during the years 1879 and 18S0. He has ever 
taken an active interest in political affairs, and 
was for many years leader of his party in the 
town of Varick. He has never married, and his 
niece Addie, the widow of Eugene Haggerty, 
and a daughter of Daniel Crane, has been his 
housekeeper for some years. 



-*-H 



^-^H^^s 



■*->^'i£l:'1«^^*- 



~DWARD NUGENT. Of the business en 
^ terprises that have contributed to the prog- ! 
_ ress of Waterloo and promoted the develop- \ 
raent of its material interests, one of the most 
important is the firm of Allen & Nugent, dealers 
in hardware, agricultural implements, builders' 
materials and house-furnishing goods. This com- 
pany was organized in 1880, and has since car- j 
ried on a profitable trade among the people of the 1 
village and surrountling country. Their sales of ] 
agricultural implements among the farmers of the 
county are large, as are also their sales of build- 
ers" materials to carpenters and contractors. 



Mr. Nugent has spent almost his entire life in 
Waterloo, and here he was born October 7, 1S44. 
His parents, Patrick and Martha (Thompson") 
Nugent, who were natives of Ireland, emigrated 
to the United States in 1832, and settled in the 
village of Waterloo the same year. The father 
was for a number of years employed on a canal- 
boat, running between this place and Albany. 
He died here in 1845: his wife, who survived 
him for manj- years, died in 1888, at the age of 
seventy-seven. 

Our subject is the fifth among six children, and 
he and his sister, Sarah, are the only survivors. 
His twin brother, Edmund, was killed at the bat- 
tle of Stone River; George died in Florida, in 
1876; John died in St. Louis, Mo.; and Thomas, 
the eldest of the family, died in Waterloo. Ed- 
ward was reared in Waterloo, and received a 
practical education in the village school. At an 
early age he abandoned his studies and entered 
the ofiice of the Waterloo Obscnrr, where he 
spent four years, gaining a thorough knowledge 
of the printer's trade. He then went to New 
York City, and for eighteen months was em- 
ployed as a compositor on the New York Times. 
On his return to Waterloo, ' he took a position 
with Joseph Wright, with whom he lived seven 
years. 

In 1877 Mr. Nugent was elected County Clerk 
for a term of three j-ears, he being the candidate 
of the Democratic party. On retiring from of- 
fice, at the expiration of his term, he formed a 
partnership with Alfred Allen, and the firm of 
Allen & Nugent has since had charge of a grow- 
ing business. In 1889 Mr. Nugent was re-elected 
to the office of County Clerk, which he filled for 
three j'cars, though meantime retaining his in- 
terest in the hardware business. As an official 
he proved himself capable, energetic and devoted 
to the county's interests, while as a business man 
he has displayed the possession of considerable 
ability and indomitable perseverance. 

The marriage of Mr. Nugent, which took place 
in 1869, united him with Mi.ss Eleanor F. 
Genung, daughter of Setli J. Genung, a well 
known citizen of Waterloo. Thej- are the par- 
ents of four children, one son and three daugh- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



273 



ters, namelj-: Edward G., who is a student in 
the medical department of Cohimbia College; 
Elizabeth K., Mabel C. and Martha S. Socially 
Mr. Nugent is a member of Seneca Lodge No. 
1 13, F. & A. M. ; Salem Town Chapter, R. A. M. ; 
and Geneva Commandery, K. T. In religious 
belief he is an Episcopalian. His interest in edu- 
cational matters has always been marked, and he 
has served efficiently as a member of the Board 
of Education. For a number of years he was 
Secretary of the Seneca County Agricultural So- 
ciety. His citizenship has been proved in his 
advocacy of all measures that pertain to the wel- 
fare of the place and the advancement of the peo- 
ple, and all public-spirited enterprises have re- 
ceived his enthusiastic co-operation. 




V yi ILTON HOAG, Vice-President of the Ex- 
Y change National Bank of Seneca Falls, has 
(9 been one of the representative business 
men of the place for nearly a half-century. A 
native of Montgomery Count}-, N. Y., he was 
born July 29, 1830. His father, John I. Hoag, 
who was also a native of New-York .State, was a 
lawyer by profession, and died in Canajoharie, 
Montgomery County, when in his eighty-fourth 
year. Nathan Hoag, the grandfather of our sub- 
ject, was born in this state and was of the Quaker 
faith. John I. Hoag married Sarah Combs, who 
was born in New York, and was a descendant of 
the "Jersey Blues." She died in Montgomery 
County, near the Paleutine Bridge, that spans the 
Mohawk River. They were the parents of ten 
children, nine of whom attained years of maturity. 
Milton Hoag was the eighth in the family of 
John I. Hoag. He spent his boyhood years in 



his native county, assisting in the farm work 
during summer and attending the common schools 
in the winter seasons. He continued on the farm 
until sixteen years old, when he learned the 
butchering business, which he followed for three 
years. When in his nineteenth year, he em- 
barked in the grocery business at Spraker's 
Basin, Montgomerj- County, and carried on the 
trade successfully about three years, when he 
] sold out. In February, 185 1, he came to Seneca 
Falls, and entered the employ of his brother 
Delavan, who was a member of the firm of 
Adams & Hoag. rectifiers of whiskey. At the 
expiration of three years he purchased the busi- 
ness, which he continued alone, being verj- suc- 
cessful. In 1866 he sold out to Charles A. Par- 
sons, Cashier of the National Exchange Bank of 
Seneca Falls, and also one of its heaviest .stock- 
holders. As part payment he took two hundred 
shares of the stock of the bank, amounting to 
more than $23,000, but soon afterward he in- 
creased his bank stock to $35,000. The same 
year he purchased Carr's Hotel, on the corner of 
Fall and State Streets, and after making many 
changes in its construction, at an expense of over 
$8,000, the name was changed to Hoag's Hotel. 
About the same time Mr. Hoag purchased 
Union Hall and Cuddeback lots. In the spring 
of 1865 he bought the King estate homestead, 
No. 21 Cayuga Street, where he now makes his 
home. In 1882 he purchased the Springbrook 
Stock Farm, two miles north of the village. Four 
years later he bought the three stores on the 
south side of Fall Street, known as the Sheldon 
Block. A few days later he purchased Daniels' 
Hall, and after remodeling the opera hou.se at a 
cost of over $14,000, changed the name to Dan- 
iels' Opera House. In 1885 he purchased a one- 
half interest in Maurer & Carpenter's drug store, 
and four years afterward bought out Mr. Car- 
penter's interest. 

In 1877 Mr. Hoag took full charge of his 
hotel. While he never had any hotel experience, 
under his management the business soon doubled. 
He continued to run the hotel in this very credit- 
able and satisfactory manner, both to the public 
and himself, until 1890, when it was burned to 



274 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the ground, as were also his beautiful opera 
house and drug store. This was the big fire of 
Julj- 30, i8go, when many other business places 
were destroj-ed. In 1894 he sold the hotel site 
and on it has been erected a beautiful hotel, The 
Hoag, which was opened in May, 1895. It has 
all the modern improvements and is a great credit 
to the village. 

In 1884 Mr. Hoag commenced building his 
present fine residence on the old homestead site, 
which is one of the most elegant homes in Seneca 
Falls. It is finished in hardwood of the most 
exquisite design, and in point of architectural 
beauty is without a parallel in central New York. 
The architect was J. M. Elliott, of Auburn, 
N. Y. Since the great fire he has devoted much 
of his time to breeding and developing high-grade 



trotting horses. He has .sold several at high 
prices and has a very choice lot now on hand. 

Mr. Hoag was married to Rosa A. Finnegan, 
of Seneca Falls, and by this union he has two 
bright little daughters, Irene E. and Ethel M. 
In politics he is a Democrat, but is not verj- act- 
ive in political affairs. Since 1866 he has been a 
Director in the National Exchange and Exchange 
National Banks, and for twentN'-four years has 
been Vice-President. In everjthing pertaining to 
the material welfare of Seneca Falls he takes an 
especial interest, and is ever ready to do his part 
in securing manufacturing and other interests in 
this place. In a financial waj' he was eminently 
successful until the great fire of 1890, and so- 
cially he has the respect and esteem of the best 
citizens of the village. 





HON J. B. THOMAS. 



Il 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



277 



,':^A .;gfs:.9- 




^ixsx^mi^ 



HON. JAMES B. THOMAS. In the on- 
ward march of the human race money has 
always exerted a vast influence. It has de- 
termined the destinies of nations and the fortunes 
of individuals, and in every case those who have 
had money behind them have had a determining- 
share in social and commercial development. 
Despite the teachings of a philosophy strange to 
human lite, it has also had much to do w-ith 
the religious developments of the world. The 
power of money has indeed its own limitations. 
It cannot take the place of character, it buys no 
intellect, and guarantees no royal road to learn- 
ing, but in the hands of people of character, 
honesty and integrity, controlled by a kindly 
spiiit, and animated by good intentions, it does 
give vast power, and the men who wisely ad- 
minister it are justly counted among the bene- 
factors of the community. In the way of pro- 
moting trade, and keeping industry active, and 
making exchange easy and rapid, it is impos-sible 
to tell what good a village bank may do to a 
wide stretch of couiitr)- and to many people who 
rarely hear of it, and scarcely know of its ex- 
istence. In this catalogue of useful agencies the 
banking house of LeRoy C. Partridge, of Ovid, 
may be placed. Of this bank Mr. Thomas is 
Ca.shier and half-owner, the other half being 
owned by Mrs. Ellen C. Partridge, who is the 
President of the institution. 

Jonathan and Nancy (Scott) Thomas, the 
parents of our subject, were natives of Pennsyl- 
vania and New York, respectively. Their line 
of descent is from Wales, and some of the best 
characteristics of that people appear in the pres- 
ent generation. lyiverton Thomas, the grand- 

9 



father, came from the Old Country to make his 
home in the land that William Penn had peacea- 
bly acquired from the wild Indian, and governed 
under the inspiration of the laws of brotherhood 
and peace. In 1806, while still a young and un- 
married man, Jonathan Thomas removed from 
Pennsylvania into what is now Seneca County, 
and established himself as a produce dealer and 
merchant at Sheldrake. He was among the first 
to settle in the town, and he encountered all the 
hardships and privations that wait upon those 
who open a new countr}\ He lived to be eighty- 
si.x years old, and died in 1867. His wife touched 
her ninety-third year, dying in 1879. They were 
the parents of eleven children, of whom two, 
twin girls, died in infancy. John died when one 
year old. Mary Ann became the wife of John 
Harris, and died in Sheldrake, leaving three sons 
and one daughter. Sylvester D. is a farmer in 
the town of Ovid. Missouri, the wife of Edwin 
Schotts, died in Sheldrake. \\'aternian followed 
his father's business of produce dealing and store- 
keeping, and died in Michigan. Nancy S. died 
at the age of eleven \ears. Abner D. was the 
next child after the birth of our subject, and he 
may be found busy and earnest upon his farm 
near Middleville, Mich. In this band of brothers 
andsi.sters one was to be a mini.ster of the Gospel, 
Jonathan, Jr., a clergyman of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, located at Whitney vilJe, Mich. 

Jonathan Thomas was also a tanner and furrier, 
and he carried on this business in connection with 
his other pursuits for many years at Sheldrake. 
He was a member of the Baptist Church, and 
was highly respected in the community. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Ovid, 



278 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



July 4, 1833, and was given good educational 
advantages for the times. After finishing the 
common school he was sent to Ovid Academy, 
where he acquitted himself creditably'. He found 
his first work in life, after school days were over, 
to be that of farming, which business he followed 
until 1865. Then he turned his attention to 
banking, and, associating himself with LeRoy 
C. Partridge, opened the first bank at Ovid, the 
management of this in.stitution remaining in his 
hands from that day to this. To those who know 
the facts, it need not be said that in his career 
he has manifested a commercial genius of very 
high character. To-day he is the owner of seven 
farms, which are highly improved and thorough- 
ly cultivated. He has other investments, and is 
beyond question one of the solid men of Seneca 
County. After the death of Mr. Partridge, his 
widow retained his interest and became the Presi- 
dent of the bank. The partnership is harmonious, 
and the bank is considered very sound. 

Politically Mr. Thomas has trained with the 
Democratic party . He has held positions of trust 
and honor, has been Town Collector, Supervisor, 
Under-Sheriff, County Treasurer, Member of the 
Assembly, and in 1888 attended the National 
Democratic Convention at St. Louis as one of the 
New York State delegates. For twenty-nine 
years he has been Treasurer of the Willard State 
Hospital, an institution expending more than 
$350,000 every j'ear. He has also been called to 
act in other public and semi-public capacities 
which need not be detailed, except to say that he 
has been for many years the President of the 
Board of Trn.stees of the Pre.sbyterian Church of 
Ovid, of which organization he has been a mem- 
ber for more than fifty years. He is much .sought 
after to act as executor and administrator of 
estates, and the school money of the Union School 
District has long pa.ssed through his hands as 
Treasurer. 

In 1845 Miss Lucinda, daughter of Clement 
Jones, of New York City, became the wife of 
our subject. They have two children. Edwin 
H. , an exceedingly prosperous farmer in the town 
of Hornby, Steuben County, is the manager of a 
tract of land consisting of more than nine hun- 



dred acres; his wife was Clara Burrill, of Hornby, 
in Steuben County. Frederick resides in Ovid, 
and is employed in his father's bank as assistant 
cashier. His wife was formerly Miss Elizabeth 
Hoyt. After a married life of more than forty- 
nine j-ears the wife of our subject died, in Febru- 
arj-, 1895. 

The band of Ovid was equipped by Mr. Thomas, 
and is known as the J. B. Thomas Military Band. 
He has long taken a keen interest in the welfare 
of the patients at the asylum, and started a most 
useful agency of recreation, furnishing an outfit 
for the band at Willard State Hospital. For 
ten years he has paid in $200 a year for the en- 
tertainment of the patients. 

In 1856, while a member of the State Legisla- 
ture, Mr. Thomas was instrumental in the pass- 
age of a bill for the e.stabli.shment of a State 
Agricultural College. This was accomplished 
and the institution was located near Ovid. Not 
.seeming to fill a long-felt want, it was converted 
into the Willard State Hospital, and Mr. Thomas 
has been closely associated with its management. 
While in the Legislature Mr. Thomas was a mem- 
ber of several important committees, and was in- 
fluential in shaping legislation. He was on the 
Conunittees on Canals, Engrossed Bills and Rail- 
roads, and his character and worth were recog- 
nized by appointment on several special commit- 
tees. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, 
but finds tliat business keeps him closely confined 
at home. 



•♦^•= 



^:<»- 



HOMAS MARSH. Few residents of Sen- 
eca County have lived here for .so long a 
period as has the subject of this article, who 
is one of the venerable citizens and pioneers of 
the town of Romulus. Brought to this county by 
his parents when a child of three years, he has 
witnessed the growth of this .section and has con- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



279 



tributed to its development — connnercial, educa- 
tional and agricultural. His has been a busj-life, 
and now in his old age he is resting from the ar- 
duous labors of former years, and in his comforta- 
ble home is surrounded by every comfort that can 
minister to his happiness. 

In Essex County, N. J., near the village of 
Westfield, Thomas Marsh was born November 
4, 181 1, being the son of John S. and Phoebe 
(Baker) Marsh, also natives of that county. He 
was the .second among seven children, the others 
being as follows: Mary, Mrs. Henry L. Kinne, 
who died in 1889; Elizabeth, deceased; Ann, 
widow of Leander Covert, now living near East 
Varick, this county; Daniel B.; Jane, who died in 
1855; and Margaret D., widow of J. Frank Marsh, 
of this county. 

A blacksmith by trade, John S. Marsh went to 
Pennsylvania in early manhood and followed that 
occupation in Pittsburg. From that place he 
went to Cinciiniati, and for about three \'ears 
worked for William Henry Harri.son, President 
of the United States. Later he went to St. Louis, 
making the journey alone in a small boat down 
the Ohio and up the Mi-ssissippi. After a short 
time in the West he went back to Ohio, then re- 
turned to Westfield, N. J., where he worked at 
his trade mitil 1814. He then came to Seneca 
County, making the journey with a three-horse 
team, and settling in the town of Romulus. The 
following year he purchased sixty-five acres lying 
on the banks of the Cayuga, and comprising a 
portion of the present farm. The land was heavily 
timbered and contained no improvements, but 
through untiring labor on his part he brought it 
under cultivation, so that it proved remunerative. 
On this homestead he died in 1865, at the age of 
eight\-nine; his wife died ten years later, in 1875, 
also at the age of eighty-nine years. 

At the time the family came to vSeneca CountN- 
our subject was a child of three years, and he has 
since made his home here, having resided on his 
present place since 1840. In 1S41 he was united 
in marriage with Miss Julia Brown, and four 
children came to bless tlR-ir union, namely: The- 
odore; Edwin, who lives at Bancroft, Neb.; .Sa- 
rah, deceased; and Oeorge, who died in infancy. 



While Mr. Marsh was never active in politics, he 
has been a .stanch Republican since the organiza- 
tion of that party, and still maintains an interest 
in topics of general interest. Mrs. Marsh passed 
to her reward in 1879. 



j EVI M. GANO. The .subject of this sketch 
I C is a resident of Watkins and one of the 
l_2f prominent and influential citizens of Schuy- 
ler County. His life has been largelv devoted to 
journalism, and while laboring to promote the 
interests of his party and the prosperity of his 
village, he has done much to elevate the standard 
of his profession, reaping incidentally a share of 
the rewards with which it not infrequently repays 
persistent and sagacious efforts. 

Mr. Gano was born in Hunterdon ConiUy, 
N. J., his mother, Anna Stires, being of an old 
Dutch family, and his father, Philip Gano, of 
Huguenot extraction. With his parents he came, 
at the age of five, to settle in the town of Dix, 
where he was given, and was quick to profit by, 
such educational advantages as the county af- 
forded. A part of his early life was pa.ssed luider 
the instruction of that famous old pedagogue, 
Squire John A. Gillet, of Hector, who.se .school at 
Peach Orchard was known far and wide through 
western New York. Later he hinuself became a 
teacher, and was for a time tlie successful head of 
the Watkins School. After this he studied law 
in the ofiice of Edward Quin. and, being subse- 
quently admitted to the Bar, jiracticed for a lime 
in the state of Iowa. 

Returning to New York, Mr. (iano founiled, in 
186(1, the Olean 'f/i/irs, now a ])rosperous dail\' 
at Olean, Cattaraugus Countv. Four years later, 
at Watkins, he established tlie Watkins Express, 
which he has since edited and imlilished, a paper 
whicii lias won a (leser\e<!ly high rank among the 



28o 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



weeklies of the state, having lieen for thirty years 
the most influential journal and leading organ of 
its part}- in Schuyler County. 

During this time Mr. Gano has been called 
upon to serve his town and count}- in various offi- 
cial capacities, and has also filled a number of 
important appointive offices. Commencing as 
clerk to the Superintendent of the Chemung 
Canal, he has been School Commissioner and Su- 
pervisor of Dix, Canal Collector at Olean, As- 
sessor of Internal Revenue under Presidents Lin- 
coln and Johnson, Sergeant-at-Arms for two terms 
of the Assembly, seventeen years a member of 
the \'illage Board of Education, sixteen years 
Postmaster at Watkins, and finall}- Deputy Col- 
lector of Customs in New York City during the 
administration of President Harri,son. In every 
public position held b}' him his zeal, fidelity and 
efficienc}' have won him the esteem of his con- 
stituents and the high regard and confidence of 
his party friends. An aggressive and indomita- 
ble fighter, a far-.seeing, level-headed man, stead- 
fastly loyal to party and principles, his conceded 
sagacity and conservative judgment in matters 
political have gained the Express an enviable 
standing as one of the mo.st reliable and excellent 
publications of its class in western New York. 



-♦ 






^^ 



30HN BISHOP. When a man who has lived 
a long and useful life engaged in the peace- 
ful and retired pursuit of agriculture, asking 
no favors of anybody, and living in an open-hand- 
ed and free-hearted way, comes at last to spend 
the few remaining hours of his career on earth in 
comfort and quiet, and in the enjoyment of what 
he has worked so hard to gather, he is surely 
an object lesson to the >oung men who are taking 
up the work of life that has fallen from his weary 
hands. Certainly the ycnnig men of Waterloo 



will do well to study the life of John Bishop, that 
has been read by his generation like the pages ol 
an open book. In it thej- can read that honesty 
is the only policy for a truly successful life, that 
kindness pajs, and that character is a bank that 
never fails or breaks. 

Mr. Bishop was born in the town of Cambridge, 
Washington County, N. Y., March 15, 1806, of 
good old Massachusetts stock, his father, John 
Bishop, having been born in Plymouth in 1773. 
When quite joung he removed to New York and 
was married to Miss Eunice, daughter of Fortu- 
natus Sherman, of Dartmouth, Mass. The grand- 
father of our subject was a native of Massachu- 
setts, and was over one hundred years of age 
when he died. 

John Bishop, the subject of this sketch, at- 
tended the common schools in Washington 
County until he was nine years old, and then, his 
parents removing to Seneca Count}-, his boyhood 
days were passed in the town of Junius, where he 
attended school until he was twenty years of age. 
Feeling that it was time for him to be at the hard 
work of the world, he began farming on his own 
account. He brought his farm of one hundred 
and fifty acres up to a high state of cultivation, 
and fitted it with good buildings. He not only 
grew all kinds of grain in the best of ways, but 
engaged in the raising of high-grade horses with 
marked ability. 

In 1868 Mr. Bishop removed from the farm to 
Waterloo, where, he has since resided, his son 
Henry coming into possession of this valuable 
tract of land by purchase. Mr. Bishop, however, 
has not wholly ceased his agricultural activities, 
as he has another farm, highly improved, near 
Waterloo, consisting of .seventy-five acres, which 
is enough to keep him from rusting. 

In 1852 our subject married Miss Jemima ■ 
Pierce, of Seneca Count>-. She died .some thirty ( 
years ago, and he afterward married his present 
wife, formerly Mi.ss Mary Richards, a daughter 
ofC. F.Richards, of Putnam County. In poli- 
tics he has been a pronounced Democrat,' casting 
his first vote for Andrew Jackson, and his last for 
Grover Cleveland. His own town has elected 
him Assessor for twenty years, and he has also 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



281 



been School Conimissioner. Of his three children, 
the eldest, Eliza, is now Mrs. Fellows, of Monroe. 
Emily married William Turbush, and resiiles in 
Waterloo. Henry, the only son, is a farmer, and 
is well establi.shed in Seneca County. 

Mr. Bishop is now almost ninety years of age, 
and is a hale and hearty man, in full possession 
of all his faculties, and many there are to rise up 
and call him bles.sed. 



3 AMES TWINING is a man of fine character 
and excellent business habits, and for many 
years has been regarded as an active factor in 
extending the interests of his community. He 
is at present living in the town of Seneca Falls, 
this county, where he owns fifty acres of splendid 
farming land. 

A native of this state, our subject was born in 
Broome Count)-, August 10, 1818. His parents 
were John and Dorcas (Fonner) Twining, the 
former of whom was a native of New Jersey, and 
the latter of Pennsylvania. Grandfather John 
Twining hailed from England, and on coming to 
America settled in New Jersey, and from him 
many of this name are descended. He was a 
clothier by occupation, and although he trained 
his son, the father of our subject, to this business, 
he abandoned it after a time and gave his atten- 
tion to farming. 

John and Dorcas Twining were married in the 
above state, but left soon after that event, and 
made their future home in the Empire State. The 
husband- was poor in this world's goods, but not 
being afraid of work, improved his time, and it 
was not long before he was able to provide liis 
family with the comforts of life. He was well 
read, possessed broad views of life, and was high- 
ly regarded by all who knew him. He first voted 
for John Quincy Adams, but he later changed 
his views, and became a .stanch Democrat. In 



the town of Union, Broome County, he was called 
upon to fill various po.sitions of trust, and in 
every instance gave satisfaction to those who had 
reposed trust in him. The parental family num- 
bered twelve children, all of whom, with one ex- 
ception, grew to mature years. John Twining 
became identified with the Chri.stian Church 
during his later years, and died in Broome Coun- 
ty, about 1865, aged eighty-four }-ears. 

The boyhood days of our subject were passed 
in much the same manner as were those of other 
lads we have described so often in this book — 
attending school and working on the farm. He 
remained with his parents until twenty \ears of 
age, when, having bought the twelve months' 
time due his father, he began to do for himself 
In the spring of 1840 he was married to Miss 
Rebecca Howard, who was also a native of 
Broome Count}-, and that year they came to the 
tow-n of Seneca Falls, where Mr. Twining rented 
property for a few years. After this he abandoned 
farm work and gave his attention to carpenter- 
ing, which business he had learned, and as he 
was a good workman found plenty ot building to 
do. After pursuing it successfully for a number 
ot years, he refused to take any more contracts, 
and established a meat-market in Seneca Falls. 
He conducted this for five years, and during that 
time had the patronage of the best people of the 
village. 

In 1855 Mr. Twining went to Iowa, and in- 
vested money in farming lands and also in town 
property. He spent two or three months of each 
year looking after his interests in the Hawkeye 
State, leaving his family in the mean time in 
Seneca Falls. His investments turned out well, 
and later, selling his real estate, he went to 
Union, nine miles from Binghamton, where he 
was in the dry-goods business for a period of five 
years. After this Mr. Twining settled down to 
farm life, and purchased the land on which he 
now resides. He lias improved the place and is 
comfortably establi.shed in life. 

Mrs. Rebecca Twining departed this life about 
1863, and our .subject chose for his second com- 
panion Mrs. Frances (Carsaw) Benedict, by whom 
he had two children, one of whom died in in- 



282 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



fancy. His second wife died in 1868, and in 

1874 Mr. Twining married Mrs. Alice (Choate) 
Crocker, who was born in Rochester, N. Y., and 
who was a distant relative of Rufus and Joseph 
Choate. Of the third marriage there were also 
born two children. Howard died in infancy, and 
Frederick B. is now a lad of twelve years. Mr. 
Twining has always been a strong snpporter of 
Republican principles, and cast his first Presi- 
dential vote for William Henry Harrison, and 
also voted for John C. Fremont. 




0GDEN WHEELER, Supervisor of the town 
of Varick, Seneca County, is a farmer, live- 
stock dealer, and proprietor of a retail meat- 
market at Ronmlus. He was born in the town 
of Varick, June 28, 1855, and is the eldest in a 
family of six children, his brothers and sisters 
being Sarah A., F. Frank, Harriet A., Charles 
and Mary S. Jonathan Wheeler, the father, .set- 
tled in Seneca County about 1850. He was a 
native of Saratoga County, N. Y., and the son 
of Joseph Wheeler, a native of Connecticut. The 
former was a surveyor, and was employed in sur- 
veying and platting land in Seneca County be- 
fore he settled down. 

In 1854 the father was married to Harriet, 
daughter of Joseph Ogden, of Cayuga County, 
and a teacher in the public schools of this county. 
Afterward he located on a farm of one hundred 
and twelve acres near Varick, where he resided 
until his death, in 1876. This farm, and another 
about one mile distant, are still held by the estate, 
the widow residing with and keeping hou.se for 
the subject of this .sketch in Romulus. The fa- 
ther made stock-growing his principal busine.ss, 
and in this line was a pioneer. He worked for 
quality as well as quantity, and was instrumental 
in bringing western New York up to the high 
.standard it afterwards attained as a fine .stock- 



producing section. In politics he was a stanch 
Republican, though he was in no sense a politi- 
cian. 

Ogden Wheeler was reared to farm life, and 
resided on the farm until after his father's death. 
In 1 88 1 he married Miss Man.- S. Schwab, 
daughter of Charlus Schwab, of Fayette. Their 
only child died in infancy. Mrs. Wheeler died 
September 3, 1891, and after her death Mr. 
Wheeler continued to live on the farm until 1894, 
when he removed to Romulus. For fifteen years 
he has been recognized as a leading citizen of the 
county and a leader in local politics. He belongs 
to both the county and state committees, and 
in politics is a Republican. Honesty has been 
the rule of his life, and he is held in high esteem 
in the community where he resides. At present 
he is ser\-ing his third term as Town Supervisor. 

In connection with his farm Mr. Wheeler con- 
ducts a meat-market. The meat he sells is not 
of the cold-.storage variety — that is, slaughtered 
some hundreds of miles away — but he slaughters 
his own beef, mutton and pork, and can vouch 
for the quality of the goods sold. Being a prac- 
tical stock-grower, he has every advantage for 
securing the best there is for his trade. He is 
held in high esteem in the community where he 
lives, is a substantial, upright man of business, 
and is a credit to the communit\- in which he re- 
sides and to the familv name. 



l^ 



{& 



^^h.. -@J 

'^f^^' ""T©) 



~ LLSWORTH LAMOREAUX. Among the 
'y names held in honor in Seneca County, the 
__ one which introduces these lines has for 
man J' years held a prominent place. Our sub- 
ject is one of the influential and substantial farm- 
ers of the town of Covert and is widely known 
throughout this section. He was born in the 
town of Lodi, this county, December 22, 1828, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



283 



and ever since attaining to man's estate has borne 
an important part in the growth of his town, 
maintaining an unceasing interest in its prosper- 
itj^ and contributing to its upbuilding. Some 
mention of his ancestrj- and personal history will, 
in view of his prominence, be of especial interest 
to our readers. 

Our subject ia the son of John A. Lamoreaux, 
a native of Orange County, and the grandson of 
Daniel Lamoreaux. The latter, in company with 
his son John A., came to Seneca Count}' in 1803. 
The journey hither, which was made with an 
ox-team, proved a very tiresome and tedious one, 
and on reaching their destination in the town of 
Lodi the father located on a tract of land which 
contained between two hundred and three hun- 
dred acres of land, and in conjunction with his 
older sons worked hard to clear and improve it. 
He was successful in his undertaking, and at the 
time of his decease, which occurred when he was 
eighty-two years of age, had the satisfaction of 
knowing his e.state was classed among the most 
productive in the locality. 

The father of our subject married Miss Cath- 
erine Swarthout, and to them were born six chil- 
dren. William, the eldest, is deceased; our sub- 
ject was the next in order of birth; Louisa is de- 
ceased, as are also Margaret and Daniel; Ralph 
makes his home in the town of Ovid. After the 
death of his first wife the father married Cath- 
erine Slack, by whom he has two children, Dit- 
mus and Malanah. 

Ellsworth Lamoreaux received a fair education, 
and remained with his parents until twenty-seven 
years of age, when he took possession of his pres- 
ent estate. It comprises one hundred and twenty- 
seven acres and is devoted to general agriculture. 
The buildings thereon are first-class in every par- 
ticular, and the machinery is improved and of the 
latest patterns. July 29, 1857, he was married 
to Catherine A. Brokaw, whose birth occurred in 
the town of Ovid, November 20, 1833, and who 
is the daughter of Peter A. and Catherine Bro- 
kaw, for many years residents of that portion of 
Seneca County. Mrs. Lamoreaux was the eldest 
of their family of eight children, the others bear- 
ing the respective names of Rachel, John N., 



Aletta J., Daniel Y., Sarah E., Arien L. and 
Emma A. To our subject and his wife were 
born two children, George D. and Jeiniie L., the 
former of whom is decea.sed. 

Mrs. Lamoreaux is well-to-do in her own 
name, being the po.sses.sor of the old homestead 
in the town of Lodi on which her grandfather 
first settled, a valuable tract of seventy-one acres, 
from which she derives a handsome income. In 
addition to this estate she inherited her father's 
farm, which is located in the town of Ovid. Her 
grandfather was married in Somerset County, 
N. J., whence he came with his wife to Seneca 
County, this state, by means of an ox-team. 
They became well-to-do and were highly re- 
garded by all who knew them. 

Both our subject and his wife are members of 
the Reformed Church at Farmer, in which con- 
gregation the former has been both Deacon and 
Elder. In politics he always votes for Demo- 
cratic candidates, as he firmh' believes that party 
to be in the right regarding national issues. 




pGJiLLlAM H. BEACH, M. D., has for 
lAl t^^'6"ty-five years been practicing his pro- 
V V fession in the village of Catharine, for 
twenty j'ears has been Postmaster, and for twen- 
ty-two years has carried on a mercantile trade. 
He was born in the village of Danby, Tompkins 
County, N. Y., March 10, 1841, and is a son of 
David and Rebecca (Snmmerton) Beach, both of 
whom are natives of the state of New York, the 
latter of Gene.see County. The Beach family is 
of English origin and of Puritan stock, the first of 
the name coming to America in the early part of 
the seventeenth century, and locating in Connect- 
icut, where Isaac Beach, the gnunlfather of our 
subject, was born. 



284 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood 
daj-s on his father's farm and secured his primary 
education in the district schools, after which he 
spent one year in the academj- at Spencer, one 
year in Watkins Academy, and two years in the 
academy at Ithaca. At the age of twenty-one he 
commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Solon 
P. Sackett, of Ithaca, where he remained three 
years; then attended the medical department of 
the University of New York for one year, after 
which he was graduated from the Geneva Medi- 
cal College. While in the university he took a 
special course in the hospitals of the city, and re- 
ceived special instructions in surgery under Dr. 
Valentine Mott, one of the mo.st distinguished 
surgeons that this country has ever produced. 
While- pursuing his studies Dr. Beach taught a 
number of terms of school in his own county. 

In the spring of 1866 Dr. Beach commenced 
the practice of his profession at Logan, N. V., 
wheie he remained four years, meeting with good 
success; but believing that there w-as a better 
opening for him at Catharine, he removed to 
this village in 1870, and here has .since continued 
to reside. He has beeu eminently successiul in 
his profession, as well as in other lines of busi- 



ness in which he has been engaged, and for some 
years has owned a small farm, to which he has 
given his personal attention. For ten years he 
has been a Notary Public, and has also served 
one term as Countj- Coroner. In politics he has 
always been a thorough and consistent Republi- 
can. He is greatly interested in the political 
questions of the day, and believes it to be the 
dutj- of everj- citizen to faithfully discharge his 
duties as such b}- attending the conventions and 
seeking the nomination of good men, and also in 
voting at every election. Fraternally the Doctor 
has been a member of the Masonic order for 
twenty 3'ears, being a member of Myrtle Lodge 
No. 131, F. & A. M. Religiously he is a mem- 
ber of St. John's Episcopal Church of Catharine, 
and in the work of the church has shown great 
interest, having filled all the offices in the same. 
Mrs. Beach is also a member of the church. 

On the 2oth of November, 1863, Dr. Beach was 
united in marriage with Mi.ss Olive A. Vickery, 
who was born in Ithaca, and who is the daughter 
of Ebenezer and Eliza (Roper) A'ickery, the 
former a native of New Hampshire, and the lat- 
ter of New York. Our subject's only .son, Ed- 
win L-, is deceased. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



287 




^^.^^i^:^^ 



JOHN R. WHEELER. 



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(TOHN R. WHEELER. For a wide stretch 
I around the town of Farmer the name of Judge 
V2/ Wheeler, for twenty years Justice of the 
Peace, has been a famihar one, and has always 
been associated with strict probity and a truly 
judicial temperament. He is a native of the vil- 
lage of Farmer, and was born on the second day 
of the last mouth of the year 1829. He was the 
,son of Nathan B. and Anna (Rappleye) Wheeler, 
who were natives of Connecticut and New Jersey, 
respectively. 

The ancestors of the Wheeler family resided in 
New England for several generations, being of 
English extraction, although the first Wheeler to 
settle in this country came from Wales. Nathan 
B. Wheeler, Sr., the grandfather of our subject, 
came to Seneca County at an early day, and died 
within its borders. Nathan B. Wheeler, Jr. , the 
father, was born in 1800, and came to this coun- 
ty in 1825. He soon married and settled on a 
farm of one hundred and six acres near Farmer, 
and here engaged in the honorable avocation of 
farming until the day of his death, in 1881. He 
was a man of ability and character, and his nat- 
ural gifts of mind and heart were soon recog- 
nized b}- his neighbors, who elected him Justice 
of the Peace, and retained him in that position 
for over forty years. He was also a Justice of 
the Sessions of Seneca County, and an Excise 
Commissioner. Politically he was a Democrat, 
and fraternally a Mason, for several years being 



Master of Farmersville Lodge No. 183, F. & 
A. M. His wife died about twenty 3-ears before 
his time came. 

The parental family included nine children, of 
whom all but one are now living. Mary is the 
wife of J. B. Bassett, and is at liome in Farmer. 
John R. is the first son. Jane B. was married 
twice, the first time Abraham Knight becoming 
her husband, and the second time Daniel Bryan; 
she resides in Steuben County. Oscar G. is a 
banker and farmer. William W. is a resident of 
Farmer. Harriet is the wife of Norman Camp- 
bell and makes her home in Brooklyn. DeWitt 
C. is a banker at Farmer. Sarah G. is the onl>- 
one who has gone over to the great majority; 
and Levi J. is a banker at Trumansburg, N. Y. 

Mr. Wheeler, about whom this article is writ- 
ten, was born on the farm, and received the edu- 
cation afforded by the home schools. When 
twenty years of age, he was taken into a store 
at Farmer, and after he had gained the neces- 
sary experience he formed a bu.sine.ss association 
with Abraham Knight, which continued for ten 
years. After his partner had retired, at the ex- 
piration of this period, he continued the busi- 
ness alone for six years. Then, receiving an 
advantageous offer, he disposed of it and accepted 
a position in the office of the Secretary of State 
at Albany, holding the place for two years. 
Since that time he has had an office at Farmer. 
For thirteen vears he has been a member of the 



288 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI^ RECORD. 



Seneca County Board of Supervisors, and has 
been Secretary of the County Agricultural So- 
ciet}-, and, as noted before, for twenty years Jus- 
tice of the Peace. 

During the Civil War Judge Wheeler was a 
strong supporter of the Union, and was in of- 
ficial relations with the general Government, all 
the soldiers coming from the town of Covert being 
enlisted by him. He has been a stanch adher- 
ent of the Democratic party, and is read)- at all 
times to do his duty in its ranks. In the state 
conventions of that organization his voice has 
been heard and his influence felt. 

The domestic relations of our subject have 
been very happy. In 1858 Mary, the daughter 
of Elbert Dumont, a farmer of the town of Cov- 
ert, became his wife; she bore him two children, 
Georgian^ May and Charles B., the latter of 
whom died at the age of twenty j^ears. In re- 
ligion Judge Wheeler is a member of the Re- 
formed Church. He is also a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, and has taken an active part 
in the upbuilding of Farmersville Lodge No. 183, 
F. & A. M. Of this organization he has been 
Master, and is much esteemed among his Masonic 
brethren. 






*■-{ — i- 



-5— »-^ 



-.•-« — h 



y/lARCUS M. CASS. Among the old and 
y prominent families of Schuyler, influential 
C9 in the cour.se of early events in the coun- 
ty, is that of which Marcus M. Cass, of Watkins, 
is the oldest living representative. The first in 
this part of the state to bear the name was a 
Revolutionary soldier, who came from Massa- 
chusetts. His son Josiah married Miss Eunice, 
daughter of Jnhn French and Ke/.iah Bull, of 
Otsego County. He fought at Lundy's Lane, and 
died about 1826, the father of six children. The 
eldest of these was Cynthia Ann, who, about 



1840. became the wife of Dr. Samuel Watkins; 
and the youngest was Marcus M., the only one 
of his generation now alive. 

Dr. Watkins, in whose honor this village was 
named, was born on Long Island in 1772, and 
came into possession, as heir to his brother John, 
of a large part of the .so-called "Watkins & Flint 
Purchase' ' of three hundred and twenty-five thou- 
sand acres of land around the head of Seneca 
Lake. Here he came to live in 1828, laying out 
the village and erecting manj- of its notable 
buildings. Early in the '40s he married Cynthia 
Ann Cass, and at his death, in 1851, left to her 
the bulk of his estate, then one of the most con- 
siderable in western New York. 

Mrs. W^atkins was a woman of remarkable 
ability and force of character, upon whom had 
devolved for years the management of the Doc- 
tor's property interests. She changed the name 
of the village to Watkins, gave it a public park, 
endowed its academy, and was foremost in all its 
charities and business enterprises. Subsequently 
she married her cousin, Judge George G. Freer, 
and shortly thereafter dying childless, willed her 
estate to her relatives. 

Marcus M. Cass was born in the town of Hec- 
tor in 1S24. He received advantages of travel 
and education unusual at that daj-, pas.sing some 
years at the then celebrated Ithaca Academy, 
and later attending college. Afterward he began 
the study of law in the office of the distinguished 
Joshua Spencer, at Utica, and subsequently at 
Rochester vi'ith the well known Selah Matthews. 
For a time he practiced law at Buffalo with the 
late Norton A. Halbert, of New York City, but, 
returning to V.'atkins in 1856, he married Sarah 
A., daughter of Stephen Hurd, a son of Gen. 
Edward Hurd, who was a Revolutionary veteran 
of Sandgate, Beiuiington County, Vt. 

Of the seven children of this union, Marcus 
M., Jr., the eldest, was educated at Cook Acad- 
emy, the United States Military Academy at West 
Point, and the Columbia Law School. He is a 
lawyer, late Assistant Secretary of the State Con- 
stitutional Convention, and is associate editor of 
the Watkins Express. The daughters are Mrs. 
George L. Meddick, of Elniira; Mrs. John M. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



289 



Roe, of Watkins; and Mrs. Albert H. Olmsted, 
of Rochester. The remaining children, John L., 
Schuyler C. and \V. H. Seward Cass, reside at 
Watkins. 

The subject of this sketch is a gentleman of 
fine natural abilities, scholarly tastes, a life-long 
Republican, and a forcible and polished .speaker 
in days when he interested himself in politics. 
He never held or aspired to office, though serving 
his party on the Republican State Committee, 
and as a delegate to the national convention 
which placed President Lincoln for the second 
time in nomination. He is a man of conceded 
high character and integrity, is the owner of 
Havana Glen and other property sufficient for his 
modest wants, and of late, in failing health, is 
passing his closing years of life quietly at his 
home in Watkins. 




KICHARD WATSON PADGHAM, M. D., 
is a comparativelj' new-comer in Farmer, 
having been located here since October, 
1889. He was born in Barbadoes, West Indies, 
April II, 1850, his parents being Rev. Henry 
and Eleanor (Appleton) Padgham, who were na- 
tives of England. His father was educated as a 
Wesleyan Methodist minister, and was sent by 
that church as a missionary to the West Indies, 
remaining two terms of ten years each, when, in 
1864, he returned to England, and died there Oc- 
tober 13, 1887, aged seventy-two. For fortj-- 
uine years he had been a minister. His wife 
was born May 31, 1810, and died October 23, 
1881. They were the parents of five children, 
of whom two died in the West Indies, and three 
are now living. Robert A. is a traveling sales- 
man in England, making his liDine in Yorkshire. 
Mary C. is the wife of Samuel Johnson, an artist 
in Sheffield, England. 



Soon after his birth Dr. Padgham was taken 
to England, but in 1854 was taken back to Bar- 
badoes, where he remained for ten years. Then 
the familj' journeyed once more to England, and 
there our subject's education was carefully con- 
ducted by private tutors. As a young man he 
favored the calling of his father, and in 1870 was 
made a Wesleyan minister. He was sent to 
Canada, and found work in the Hamilton, Glan- 
tord and Watertown Circuits until 1875, when he 
came to the United States, and was attached to 
the Odessa and Ontario Circuits. He afterwards 
had churches at North Bradford, Pa., and Bath, 
N. Y. 

As a minister Dr. Padgham was highly re- 
spected and counted an able minister of the Gos- 
pel. The medical prof&sion, however, had long 
drawn him, and he finally turned from the sav- 
ing of souls to the healing of bodies, feeling that 
the one was no enemy of the other. In 1887 he 
entered the New York Eclectic Medical School 
as a student, and was graduated from it as a doc- 
tor of medicine two years later. He soon located 
at Farmer to engage in the practice of medicine, 
and for one j'ear was associated with Dr. A. R. 
Hill, but since that time he has conducted his 
large and growing business without professional 
assistance. 

Dr. Padgham found his wife in Canada. She 
was Elizabeth, the daughter of Jo.seph Clark. 
They have had five children, all girls but one. 
Ethelbert G. was born May 9, 1875. Eleanor E. 
died May 2, 1895, at the age of eighteen years. 
Mabel G. has pa.ssed her seventeenth birthday. 
Maud B. and Leila Blanche are, respectively, fif- 
teen and twelve years of age. 

Dr. Padgham has worked with the Republican 
party, and has been a strong and effecti\-e work- 
er in the temperance cause, He is a member of 
the Methodist Epi.scopal Church at Sheldrake, 
and cannot resist the call to preach at times. 
Socially he is a member of the Farmersville 
Lodge No. 183, F. & A. M., and is authority on 
the history and secret work of the craft. In his 
chosen profession Dr. Padgham stands well, and 
his ability is conceded by his fellow-practi- 
tioners, who have elected him \"ice- President of 



290 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the New Y^rk State Eclectic Medical Society. 
He is also a member of the Southern Tier Eclectic 
Medical Society. For a number of years he did 
considerable literary work of high grade, but at 
the present time is devoting all his attention to 
his chosen profession. 



-*-H5-^vj^^-<-*- 



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(TJTEPHEX V. VAN RIPER, prominent 
/\ among the farmers of the town of Fayette, 
\lJ/ Seneca County, was born at Rose Hill, July 
21, 1839. His parents were Peter and Maria 
(Vreeland ) Van Riper, natives of New Jersey, 
the father born in Essex and the mother in Ber- 
gen County. They were married in that state, 
soon after which they came to New York and 
purchased what is now called the Rose Hill 
Farm. It is a tract of one hundred and fifty 
and three-fourths acres, which Mr. Van Riper 
bought from a Mr. McClung, whose family had 
entered it from the Government. There the fa- 
ther resided until ready to retire from active life, 
when he moved into the village of Waterloo. 

Peter Van Riper was twice married, becoming 
the father of five children by his first union and 
two by his second. The subject of this sketch 
was next to the youngest of the first marriage. 
His brother John P. died in California, whither 
he had gone in .search of gold; Jane married 
Robert Rorrison, and departed this life in Water- 
loo; Isabel V. married Jeremiah Van Horn, and 
makes her home in Waterloo; Peter H. died in 
Newton, Iowa, unmarried. Of the second mar- 
riage there were born two daughters: Gertrude 
M.. now Mrs. William Shiley, who lives at 
Reading, Hillsdale County, Mich. ; and Sophia E., 
who married Daniel Williams, and makes her 
home in the town of Owasco, Cayuga County, 
this state. 

The subject of this sketch supplemented the 



knowledge which he gained in the district school 
by a course in the Geneva public schools. He 
remained at home until his marriage, which oc- 
curred December 23, 1863, when he was joined 
in wedlock with Miss Julia Brown, \fho was born 
October 16, 1838, in the town of Romulus, this 
county. She was the daughter of John R. and 
Polly (Blane) Brown, the former of whom at 
that time owned the farm which is now occupied 
bj- her husband. The latter lived on the Rose 
Hill Farm until his father sold it, when he began 
working a place on shares. The following year, 
however, he purchased a tract of land in the 
town of Varick, going in debt for the greater 
part of it. He had the misfortune to have his 
dwelling burned a short time after moving on the 
place, and in order to replace it was put to con- 
siderable expense. 

Mr. Van Riper lived on this place about three 
years, when he sold it, and, moving into the vil- 
lage of Waterloo, established a grocery business. 
However, not liking the confinement after the 
freedom of farm life, he sold out after six months 
and bought eleven and one-half acres, a part of 
his present farm. In addition to cultivating this 
small place he ran a threshing-machine for about 
four years, during that period making consider- 
able monej-. His means he then invested in 
one hundred acres adjoining his former tract, and 
thereafter gave his entire time to its improvement. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Van Riper were born five 
children, of whom Bertha died when about twen- 
ty-one years of age, and was interred in Maple 
Grove Cemetery at Waterloo. Orsa P. married 
Charlotte Duntz, and is engaged in farming in 
this locality; and Lottie M., Charles B. and El- 
mer are still under the parental roof. 

Following in the footsteps of his honored fa- 
ther, our subject is a Republican in politics, tried 
and true, and cast his first Presidential vote in 
i860 for Abraham Lincoln. He has ever been 
true to the principles of his party, and on that 
ticket was chosen Inspector of Elections. To- 
gether with his wife and children, he is a devoted 
member of the Presbyterian Church, meeting 
with the congregation at Waterloo, of which he 
is Trustee, and his elde.st son is Elder. Thev 



« 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



291 



are all actively interested in Sunday-school work, 
and the younger members of the family are loyal 
Christian Endeavorers. The father of our sub- 
ject was for many years connected with the 
Dutch Reformed Church at Geneva, in which he 
was Elder. Eater, however, he took his letter 
from that congregation and placed it with the so- 
ciety meeting at Waterloo. 

In August, 1862, Stephen V. Van Riper en- 
listed in Company I, Que Hundred and Twenty- 
sixth New York Infantr\-, and was sent to Har- 
per's Ferry, where the regiment was obliged to 
surrender. It was then paroled and sent to 
Chicago, and kept in Camp Jackson for two 
months, at the end of which time the men were 
exchanged and ordered to Washington, thence to 
Virginia. Mr. Van Riper was prevented from 
further serving the Union cause on account of an 
injur}-, and after being confined for a time in the 
hospital at Washington, was honorably dis- 
charged and returned home. Socially he is a 
member of Rose Hill Grange at Waterloo. 



Gi 



eT- 




^ 



m^ 



^ 



QUIRE MINOR T. COBURN, one of the 
?\ honored residents of Seneca County, was 
Q) born in Tompkins County, this state, March 
15, 18 17. He is therefore advanced in years, 
and as one of the oldest citizens of the town of 
Covert commands the respect of its best people. 
Mr. Cobuni is the son of Chester Coburn, whose 
birth occurred in Delaware, where also occurred 
the birth of the grandfather many years ago. 
The family is of English extraction, and is an 
old one in the United States. 

The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
Phebe King. She married Chester Coburn in 
Seneca County, after which they made their 
home in Tompkins County, where their son 
Minor T. was born. Their other children were 
Emeline, who died in 1830; Matilda, who mar- 



ried Joseph Bell, and is living in Ionia, Mich.; 
Chester, who died when a lad of seven years; 
James L., Judson and Phoebe. Of this house- 
hold our subject was the fourth in order of birth. 

Chester Coburn was a minister of the Baptist 
Church. When Minor T. was an infant his 
mother died, and eight years thereafter he went 
to live with an uncle, whose home was in the 
town of Hector, Schuyler County. He remained 
an inmate of his household until nineteen years 
of age, but two years previous to this time, how- 
ever, he accompanied tlie family on their removal 
to the town of Covert. He was fairly well edu- 
cated, and was brought up to a full knowledge of 
farm work. 

In the year 1848 the subject of this sketch 
was married to Miss Jane E. Ewell, a most 
worthy lady, and to them were born three chil- 
dren. Of these Mary married Harvey H. Cole, 
a farmer of this locality; Ada is deceased, as is 
also her twin sister, Edith. Our subject began 
life for himself when nineteen years of age, first 
being employed as a farm hand. He followed 
this business for a period of two years, when he 
abandoned it, and, chartering a boat, made a 
trip to Troy with grain. He found boating to be 
a very profitable and pleasant business, and fol- 
lowed it for the succeeding six years. At the 
end of that time he found himself to be the pos- 
sessor of a snug little sum of money, which he 
invested in a farm in his town. His estate at 
first comprised fifty-seven acres, and as his means 
would allow he has made purcha.ses of more land, 
owning at the present time seventy-four acres. 
Although not as large as some farms, his is ad- 
mirably cultivated and is made to yield good re- 
turns to its owner. In 1854 he erected on this 
place a comfortable dwelling. He is now, how- 
ever, retired from active work, although betakes 
much pleasure in walking about his estate and 
viewing the improvements that are being made 
from year to year. 

Mr. Coburn has always taken a very active 
interest in public affairs, and in 1854 was elected 
by his fellow-citizens a Justice of the Peace. 
The duties of this responsible office he discharged 
until 1884, when he resigned in favor of a 



292 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



younger candidate In 1888 he was made Pre- 
cinct Justice, and altogether served his party as 
Justice of the Peace for thirty-seven years. In 
1869 he was elected Supervisor of his town, again 
in 1870, and in 1881 was also the successful can- 
didate for that office. He has been a church 
member for about sixty-five years, and is identi- 
fied with the Baptist denomination, serving his 
church in the capacity of Deacon. In 1865 he 
was deprived of the companionship of his devoted 
wife and heljunate. Mr. Coburn is a pleasant, 
genial gentleman, who has many friends, and is 
held in the highest regard throughout the coni- 
nuinitv. 



-i — I •vJ*^®^^®<+C;»— •-•— 



nOHN M. MORGAN, who for many years 
I has engaged in the blacksmith trade at 
(2/ Odessa, is a well known citizen of the county 
and is highly respected by all. He was born in 
Schuyler County, October 13, 1836, and is a son 
of William and Jane (Mitchell) Morgan, the 
former a native of New Jersey, and the latter of 
Schuxler County, N. V. The Morgans were 
originally from Scoll.uul. the great-grandfather 
emigrating from that country and locating in Con- 
necticut, where he spent the remainder of hislile. 
His son William, the grandfather of our subject, 
removed to New Jersey, and later to Schuyler 
County, N. V. At the time of the removal of 
the family to this county, the father of our sub- 
ject was but six years old, and here he grew to 
manhood. I'or many years he was engaged in 
farming, but later in life was the village black- 
smith. Hewasquite prominent in official circles, 
and was well and favorably known throughout 
the county. 

The subject of this .sketch was third in a family 
of five children, of whom three are now living. 
He remained at lunne until after attaining his 
majority, assisting; in Ihi.' farm work and attend- 



ing the common schools of Odessa, as opportun- 
ity was afforded him. At the age of twenty-two 
he entered the blacksmith-shop where his father 
and an elder brother were also engaged. 

Jaiuiary i, 1857, Mr. Morgan married Jane 
Davis, of Odes.sa, a daughter of Isaiah Davis, of 
that place. Their married life la.sted but a little 
more than five months, Mrs. Morgan being called 
to the better world June 9, 1857. January i, 
1863, Mr. Morgan married Jane Smith, also of 
Odessa, and the daughter of Thomas L. Smith. 
After his .second marriage he took charge of the 
old shop where his father and brother had worked, 
and there continued inUil the fall of 1894, when 
he was compelled to retire on account of ill- 
health. 

Mr. Morgan has been a lile-long Republican, 
and has held a number of local offices, being 
Collector of his town two terms. In 1879 he 
became a Master Mason, and has filled most of 
the chairs in his lodge. Several years prior to 
becoming a Mason he was initiated into the Odd 
Fellows' order. To him and his wife was born 
one son, John M., named for his father. Mrs. 
Morgan is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and for a number of years has greatly 
assisted in the church nnisic, being leader of the 
choir the greater part of the time. While not 
boasting of much of this world's goods, our sub- 
ject has a nice property in the pleasant little 
village of Odessa. He is an honored citi/en and 
at his trade has no superior. 



gllARLIvS F. AULT, engaged in the mill- 
ing busine.ss at Odessa, is a native of Schuyler 
County, born October 22, 1855, and is a 
son of Freeman G. and Charlotte (Skellinger) 
Ault, the former of whom is also a native of this 
county, born in Havana, March 30, 1830. His 
father, Adam Ault, the grandfather of our sub- 



1 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



293 



ject, was born in Pennsylvania, where he mar- 
ried Jane Rnsh, also a nati\e of that state. After 
their marriage the grandparents moved to Ha- 
vana, where he engaged in tlie milling business. 
They were the parents of four cliildren, of whom 
Freeman G. was the third in order of birth. 

In early life the father learned the trade of a 
miller, which he continued to follow until the past 
year. He was married in this count}- to Char- 
lotte Skellinger, a native of Havana, and a daugh- 
ter of Charier; Skellinger. They were also the 
parents of four cliildren: Mary C. , now residing 
in Odessa; Charles F., our subject; Cora I., the 
wife of Albert Landon, a millwright of Bnxjkton, 
Tompkins County; and Miner, who died in child- 
hood. The mother of the.se children died in 1864, 
.since which time the household affairs have been 
looked after by Mr. Ault's .sister, Miss Mary 
Ault. For fifteen years the father has been a 
Master Mason. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood in 
his native village, and received but a limited 
education in the public scliool. He was a lad of 
nine years when his mother died, and at the age 
of fifteen he went into the mill of Elijah Howell, 
of Lodi, with whom he remained three years. 
Afterward he was employed with John Rhodes, 
of Morell Station, in the grist and shingle mill, 
and after remaining three years went to the Post 
Creek Mill, in Chemung County, where he re- 
mained one year. Later he was with Jonathan 
Bucher for one year, after whicli he came to 
Odessa and took charge of the mill of R. B. 
Lockhart, which he operated six months, when 
the son of R. C. Lockhart purchased the mill and 
our suVjject continued in its charge for six years. 
After leaving Odessa, he was employed in vari- 
ous mills, until finally he went back to Lodi and 
rented the mill of his uncle for one year. Sub- 
sequently he returned to Odessa and rented the 
mill from Mr. Lockhart, and has since operated 
the same. 

On the loth of September, 188 1, Mr. Ault was 
united in marriage, at Taughannock Falls, with 
Aima M. Shelton, a native of Odessa, and a 
daughter of Alvin and Amelia (Stanley) Shelton, 
who were old settlers of Schuyler County. To 



them was born one child, Lulu. Mrs. Ault, who 
died February 14, 1894, was a consistent mem- 
ber of the Methodist Epi.scopal Church and died 
in the hope of immortality. Mr. Ault is al.so a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of 
which he is a Trustee. In politics he is liberal, 
voting for the be.st man. In his financial affairs 
he has been fairly successful, having a nice home 
in Odessa, with town property in Elmira and Ha- 
vana, and also a farm in the town of Catharine. 
Throughout Schuyler County he is well known 
and highly respected. 






i-,> 



^^^^ofW^ 



•<<r' 



BEAN SEAMAN, M. D., is the leading phy- 
sician of Beaver Dams, where he lias been 
in practice for the past fifteen years. He 
was born in Reading Center, N. Y., October 31, 
1856, the only child of Dr. Horace D. Seaman, 
who was a well known physician of Scliuyler 
County. The latter was a native of Delaware 
County, N. Y., born in 1829, and was there 
reared. After graduating from Geneva Medical 
College he moved to Syracu.se, but did not re- 
main there, however, instead commencing his 
practice at Reading Center. Two years later he 
removed to Beaver Dams, where he died in Jan- 
uary, 1888. He was married in Redding, Miss., 
to Miss Ophelia Pope, who was a native of Penn- 
sylvania, and a daughter of James Pope, an early 
settler of the town of Reading. 

The subject of this .sketch spent his boyhood 
under the parental roof, received his primary 
education in the common schools, and finished his 
course at Cook"s Academy, from which he was 
graduated. At the age of seventeen he entered 
a drug store at Watkins, where he remained 
three years, during which time, after busine.ss 
hours, he read medicine with Dr. Thomp.son, and 
later spent some time in reading with his father. 



294 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In 1876 he entered Miami Medical College, at 
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he spent one term, and 
then entered Jefferson Medical College at Phila- 
delphia, from which he was graduated in 1879. 
In 1 88 1 he commenced the practice of his pro- 
fession at Beaver Dams, where he has since con- 
tinued to reside, and where he has built up an 
excellent practice. On the 15th of February, 
1 88 2, at Branchport, Yates County, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Florence Paris, of that place, and a 
daughter of O. M. and Jane (Cole) Paris. Im- 
mediately after his marriage he brought his young 
bride to his home in Beaver Dams. To them has 



been born one child, Bertha, who is now seven 
j-ears old. 

In politics, Dr. Seaman has been a life-long 
Democrat, finnh- believing in the principles of 
that party. He has never sought nor accepted 
official position, as his professional duties require 
his undivided attention. He is a member of 
Jefferson Lodge No. 332, F. & A. M., of Wat- 
kins: of Watkins Chapter, R. A. M.; and of St. 
Omer Commander}-, K. T., of Elmira, N. Y. 
As a physician, Dr. Seaman ranks with the best 
in Schuyler County, and as a citizen he is held 
ill the highest esteem. 





THOMAS T. MUNSON. 




PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



297 




THOMAS T. MUNSON, 






' HOMAS T. MUNSON. There is in the de- 
velopment of every successful life a prin- 
ciple which is a lesson to everj- man, a les- 
son leading to a higher and more honorable po- 
sition. Let a man be industriously ambitious, 
and honorable in his ambition, and he will rise, 
whether having the prestige of family or the ob- 
.scurity of poverty. The.se reflections are called 
forth by the study of the life of Thomas Munson, 
who is one of the most extensive farmers in Sen- 
eca County. His possessions, which aggregate 
four hundred acres of some of the very best farm- 
ing land, are located in the town of Tjtc. He 
was born in the village of that name, April 14, 
1839, and is the son of Ebenezer and Laney J. 
(Brink ) Munson, the former of whom was born 
in New Jersey in 1806, and the latter in Phelps, 
Ontario County, N. Y. 

The father of our subject later became one of 
the pioneers of Seneca County, where he was well 
known and highly respected, coming hither in 
1820 with his parents. He at once located in 
this town, on the place where his decease occur- 
red March 7, 1889, when in his eighty-third year. 
"Brother" Munson, as he was familiarly called, 
was in many respects a remarkable man. At an 
early age, it is said, he began to manifest the 
strong traits of character for which his life was so 
conspicuous as a citizen and a Christian. He was 
a man of fine physical powers, and possessed a 
well balanced mind, stored with a rich fund of 
10 



useful information. He was a thorough temper- 
ance man and was fearless in his opposition to the 
liquor traffic. According to the best information 
we have, he was converted about 1823, and was 
one of the founders of the first Methodist Episco- 
pal Church in Tyre, continuing through life to be 
one of its most zealous supporters. He shared 
the honors and bore the labors of all the offices of 
the church for years, and was a representative to 
many of her councils, where he distinguished 
himself for piety and sound judgment. 

Ebenezer Munson first married Mis.s Lane)- J. 
Brink, and one year after her decease was joined 
in wedlock with Mi.ss Julia Kosbeth, who de- 
parted this life April 12, 18S8. During his 
younger years the father of our subject learned 
the hatter's trade, which he later abandoned in 
oriler to engage in milling, following this latter 
bu.siness for many \ears in Tyre. He afterward 
purcha.sed a farm of two hundred acres, which is 
now included in the pos.sessions of his son 
Thomas T. 

The parental family included eleven children, 
nine of whom grew to mature years, and of whom 
six still survive. One son, George E., also lives 
in the town of Tyre, and a daughter, now the 
wife of Benjamin Armitage, makes her home in 
Clyde, Wayne County, N. Y. Ebenezer Munson 
became a strong Republican after the formation of 
the party, prior to which he served as Ovenseer of 
the Poor for nian\- years. He received the nomi- 



298 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



nation of his party for the Assembly in i860, and 
althongh the connly was strongly Democratic he 
was defeated by only eight or ten votes. 

The boyhood days of our subject were passed 
on the farm where he now lives. In this locality 
he received his primary education in the district 
schools, and later attended Mynderse Academy 
in Seneca Falls. After reaching his majority he 
secured a school, and so satisfactory were his 
services that he was retained as teacher for sev- 
eral winters in the vicinity of his home. During 
the summer season he carried on farming, and in 
this way reaped a good income. 

About 1870 our subject went West to Wilson 
County, Kan., where he entered from the Gov- 
ernment a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of 
land. He made his home there for three years 
and a-half, when, in company with others, he 
drove from Kansas to Texas, spending one win- 
ter in the Lone Star State working on the rail- 
road. On the expiration of that time he returned 
to Kansas, and after disposing of his interests 
there returned to New York, arriving here in 
1S74. He at once rented the old homestead, 
paying his father fnmi that time until the latter's 
death about $8,000. Desiring to retain po.ssession 
of the farm, he jiurchased the interest of the other 
heirs in the estate and is now sole proprietor. He 
has been remarkably successful in all his under- 
takings, and to this tract of two hundred acres 
has added a like amount, .so that now he is the 
owner of a handsome properly, one of the most 
highly cultivated and best stocked fanns in this 
portion ot the state. 

I''ollowiiig in the footsteps of his honored fa- 
ther, the subject of this .sketch is a strong Repub- 
lican in politics, casting his fir.st vote for Abra- 
ham Lincoln. He has filled the position of Jus- 
tice of the Peace for four years, notwithstanding 
the fact that the Democratic majority in this lo- 
cality is very large. Mr. Munson became identi- 
fied with the Methodist ICpiscopal Church of 
Tyre when nineteen years of age, and in this 
congregation has been Superintendent of the 
Sunday-school, teacher of the Bible Class, Trus- 
tee and Steward. 

The lady to whom Mr. Munson was married. 



Mav 25, 1 886, was Miss Sara P. Beers, who was 
born and reared in Saratoga Count\-, this state. 
She, too, possesses an excellent education and has 
taught school for many \ears. Her parents were 
George W. and Mary A. (Wilson) Beers, nath-es 
of this state. By her union with our subject 
there has been born a son, Ebenezer Thomas, his 
birth occurring January 16, t8S8. 




HITMAN R. LVBOLT, one of the representa- 
tive farmers of the town of Dix, vScluiyler 
County, was born in Steuben County. Jan- 
uary 13, 1 8,^8, ai\d was fifth in a family of eight 
children born to Jacob and Azuba (ICveleth) Ly- 
bolt. His paternal great-grandfather, who was an 
officer in the German arm\-, came to this country 
during the last century, and was the founder of 
this branch of the famil> in America. 

Jacob Lybolt, who was born in Orange Coun- 
ty in 1790, removed with his father from the lat- 
ter county to Onondaga County wIru he was a 
boy. His fother. who had lost his projierty by 
endorsing for friends, was in very straitened cir- 
cumstances, and Jacob was therefore compelled 
to work for wages at whatsoever he could find 
to do. About 1825, in company with his elder 
brother, Abraham, he came to Schuyler County 
and bought land on Sugar Hill, in the town of 
Orange, and made his home with him until his 
marriage. His brother was a man of .some note 
in Schuyler County, and held office for many 
years, being Sujiervi.sor a number of terms, and 
Justice of the Peace for many years. He also held 
a number of the minor town ofhces, and in the '40s 
represented his county two terms in the Legis- 
lature. 

In 182S the father and A/.nba I-:veleth were 
united in marriage. She was a native of Massa- 
chusetts and a daughter of Theophilns Eveleth, 
who vas also a native of Massachusetts, but who 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



299 



removed to Schuyler County early in the present 
century. After their marriage tliey remained a 
nunitjer of years on the farm, and then Mr. L\- 
holl engaged in the lumber business in company 
with a younger brother. He finally disposed of 
the latter business and removed to the town of 
Dix, wliere he died in June, 1865. His wife .sur- 
\iv(.(l him a nund^er of years, making her home 
with our subject, at whose home she died in June, 
1 876. The parents were both members of the 
Baptist Church, in which he was a Deacon for 
years, and both were res])ected and honored citi- 
zens. 

The subject of this .sketch was reared on the 
old farm and attended the common .schools of his 
neighborhood, receiving a limited education. In 
his youth he took charge of the home (arm, which 
he helped clear of indebte<lne.ss, and contiiuied 
with his father until after attaining his majoritv, 
without, arrangement as to an>' renuuieration. 
In Septend)er, 1S64, he enlisted in the New York 
Light Artiller>-, which was attached to General 
Whistler's brigade of the Armv of tjie Potomac. 
He remair.ed in the service until the close of the 
war, but just at its close he had word from home 
that his father was at the point of death, and he 
hastened home, onh' to find that lie had already 
passed away. 

During the war our subject purcha.sed the old 
I'nderhill Farm, and on the 22d of November, 
1865, was married to Miss Melissa A. Harden- 
burg, who was born in Tompkins County, May 
10, 1S43, and who was a daughter of William 
and Anna Ivliza (Havens) Ilardenburg, the for- 
mer a native of Orange County, and the latter 
of Tompkins County, N. Y. After his marriage 
Mr. Lybolt located on the farm which he had 
purchased, making it his home for seven years. 
Before taking possession, however, he spent two 
years working in Huron for his father in law, 
and it was at his house that his only daughter, 
Nettie, was born October 20, 1S66. She is now 
the wife of Brandt Wixon, and lives on a part 
of the home place, known as the "Town Farm," 

In 1875 Mr. Lybolt sold his farm and bought 
the Smith place, consisting of eighty acres, to 
which he later added fort)-six acres. This was his 



home one year, when he was given the contract 
of keeping the town house and farm, where he re- 
mained one year, and then returned to his own 
farm. In 1886 the place which is lunv his home 
came into the pos.session of Mrs. Lybolt, and they 
decided to make it their home. The farm then 
consisted of ninety-eight acres, and in the spring 
of 1S95 tlie,\- bought the old town farm, and now 
have a farm of two hundred and seventy-seven 
acres. 

For thirty-five years Mr. Lybolt has been a 
Master Ma.son, holding membership with Jeffer- 
son Lodge No. 332, at Watkins. He is also a 
nieml)er of 1). W. Washburn l'f)st, G. A. R. In 
])olitics he is a con.sistenl Republican, ,'uid cast 
his first Presidential vole for Lincoln. He has 
never been an office-.seeker, preferring to give his 
time and attention to business affairs, but has, 
howexer, .served three terms as Town Asses.sor. 
Mr. Lybolt and three of his brothers served in the 
late war, thus showing that the Lybolt family 
was a patriotic one. Albert, his eldest brother, 
was killed at Petersburg, and Ivlwin was woiuid- 
ed while in the service. 






glvORGIC M. D1':MAK1';ST, wiio resides in 
the village of Seneca Falls, was l)orn in Fay- 
ette, Seneca County, Ma\- 7, 183.1, and is a 
worthy descendant of the sturdy ])ioneers who 
laid the foundations of this Republic. As his 
name implies, he is of French descent. His great- 
grandfather left France in the .seventeenth cen- 
tury and settled in New Jersey. His sf)n, Daniel 
Demarest, was one of the most ])roininent citizens 
of New York City at the beginning of the present 
century, and was the first to introduce into that 
place a line of trucks — an enterpri.se in which lie 
retained an interest until his death. 

At hisde.ilh, Daniel Demarest left two children. 



300 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



His daughter married a Mr. Terluuie, of Aim 
Arbor, Mich. His son, Peter D., our subject's 
father, was born in New York City, March 17, 
1800, and spent his early years there and in Jer- 
-sey City. At the age of about eighteen he re- 
moved to Seneca County, where he was occupied 
as a carpenter and joiner. He married a Miss 
Bacliman for his first wife, but she and her two 
children died young. His second wife, Mrs. 
Susan (Reifsnider) Haines, was a native of 
Northumberland County, Pa., and died October 
20, 1885. 

The family of which our subject is a member 
consisted of six children, namely: George M.; 
Lyman W., who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where 
he is engaged in railroading; Peter P. , of Benicia, 
Cal.; William M., who died in Seneca County, 
March 16, 1886; Jane M., wife of John White, of 
Tyre; and Amy A., who married Edmund Brandt, 
of Sumner, Neb. The parents removed from 
Fayette to Tyre in 1838, and twelve years later, 
in 1850, went to Lockport, N. V. Later, how- 
ever, they returned to Seneca County, where they 
died, the father November 21, 1894. Both were 
earnest Christians, Mr. Demarest being a Univer- 
-salist and his wife a member of the Lutheran 
Church. 

In youth our subject was an apprentice under 
his father, and became a proficient carpenter, 
cabinet-maker and painter. In 1862 he enlisted 
in Company K, Fiftieth New York Engineers, 
and .served with distinction until the close of the 
war, being constantly at the front, and receiving 
the rank of Quartermaster-Sergeant. While 
with the Army of the Potomac he contracted dis- 
ease, from which he has never fully recovered. At 
the close of the war he returned to Seneca Coun- 
ty and took up the paint brush once more. In 
1866 he attempted farming in Cayuga County, 
but his health was too poor to permit of manual 
labor, so he opened a furniture and undertaking 
establishment at Port Byron. Li i86g he .started 
a similar business at Marshall, Mich. In 1872 
he returned to Seneca Falls, where he conducted 
a similar business until 1S79, but .since then his 
failing health has compelled him to confine him- 
self solely to office work. 



Januarj- i, 1856, Mr. Demarest married Sarah 
A. Gregory, daughter of Isaac Gregory, a black- 
smith of v'^eneca County. Six children were born 
of this union, namely: Hattie S., wife of Charles 
H. Possons, of Glens Falls: Willie L. , who died 
September 13, 1861 , at the age of thirteen months; 
Libbie T., now Mrs. Michael Eck, of Seneca 
Falls; Lulu, who was born April 29, 1866, and 
died Ajjril 18, 1870; Georgia May, born May 28, 
1867, and died April 30, 1891; and Nettie, who 
was born June 21, 1872, and passed away Sep- 
tember 12, 1872. The wife and mother departed 
this life August 15, 1872, in Chicago, and was 
buried at Marshall, Mich. 

November 15, 1875, Mr. Demarest was united 
with Marj- T. LaFlour, who was born in New- 
port, R. I., July 30, 1845. Her father, Joseph 
LaFlour, was a native of Canada and of French 
extraction. Her fifty years sit lightly on her 
brow^ for she po.ssesses the beauty and grace of 
the Gallia ladies, whose charms never fade. Mr. 
Demarest is a member of the Episcopal Church, 
and socially is a Royal Arch Mason and a mem- 
ber of Cross Post No. 78, G. A. R. In poli- 
tics he is a Republican. In his beautiful modern 
residence at No. 20 Daniels Street, he is enjoying 
the autumn of a life of hard work and devotion 
to his country. 



•♦>:• •:«=^«— ^ -^ 



HON. WILLIAM K. CLARK. The success 
which has rewarded the efforts of Mr. Clark 
is the result of his self-sacrificing labors in 
earlier life, together with the exerci.se of sound 
judgment and executive ability in every transac- 
tion. The concern of which he is the head is one ■ ■ 
of the largest of the kind in New York, and has ^ I 
increased the reputation of Waterloo as a manu- 
facturing center. It was in i860 that he first 
turned his attention to the manufacture of car- 
riage wheels, and since 1870 he has devoted his 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



30 1 



undivided attention to this industry, making his 
sales direct to the large carriage manufacturers. 
vSteani power is used in the operation of the plant. 
Fifty men are employed in the works, and the 
quality of the products is of the highest grade. 

In Sullivan County, N. Y., the subject of this 
sketch was born June 9, 1835. The family of 
which he is a member originated in England and 
was first represented in Connecticut, where sev- 
eral succeeding generations resided. In Durham, 
that state, our subject's grandfather, James Clark, 
was born. Reuben Clark, his father, also a na- 
tive of Connecticut, became an early settler of 
the town of Thompson, Sullivan Count}-, N. Y., 
where he owned and operated a large and valua- 
ble farm. In 1850 he came to Waterloo and here 
continued to reside until his death, which oc- 
curred at eighty-two years of age. His mother 
attained the advanced age of ninetj'-.seven. 

The mother of our subject was Julia A. , daugh- 
ter of Eleazer Cro.sby. She was born in the town 
of Thompson, Sullivan County, N. Y., and died 
in Waterloo at the age of eighty-two. Her fam- 
ily consisted of twelve children, of whom six at- 
tained years of maturity, and two sons and two 
daughters are now living. William B., who was 
the fifth in order of birth, passed the days of boy- 
hood in vSullivan County, where the foundation 
of his education was laid. After accorapanj'ing 
his parents to Waterloo he carried on his studies 
in the academj- here. 

The business experience of Mr. Clark com- 
menced when he formed a partnership with Al- 
bert Stebbins in the drug business, under the 
firm name of Stebbins & Clark. Later our sub- 
ject sold out his interest and went into the boot 
and shoe business. In i860 he started the wheel 
business, which he has carried on succe.ssfuUy ever 
since. In the year 1864 he became interested in 
the dry-goods business, but discontiimed this line 
seven years later, the firm being Clark & Draper. 

Besides the enterprise with which his name is 
most closely associated, Mr. Clark is a Director 
in the Waterloo Wagon Company, Limited. He 
is al.so a stockholder and Director in the Cortland 
Wagon Company, at Cortland, N. Y., which is 
the largest of the kind in the state, and for which 



he has furnished all the wheels u.sed for the past 
twenty years. He is also one of the original 
stockholders in the Watertown Spring Wagon 
Company, of Watertown, N. Y., which interest 
he yet holds. Politically, he affiliates with the 
Democrats, believing the principles of his party 
best adapted to the prosperity of the nation. 
Upon that ticket in 1885 he was elected to repre- 
sent the county in the Assembly, and in that ca- 
pacity his services were efficient and satisfactory 
to his constituents. He previously had serv^ed 
two terms as President of the village of Waterloo. 
In 1857 Mr. Clark was united in marriage with 
Miss Charlotte M. Crosby, daughter of Piatt 
Crosby, of Waterloo. They have an only son, 
Frank M., who is interested with his father in 
the wheel works. In religious connection Mr. 
and Mrs. Clark are identified with the First Pres- 
byterian Church, and for the past twenty years 
he has served as President of the Official Board of 
the church. There are probably no citizens who 
take a deeper interest than he in the advancement 
of the village, and whatever conduces to its prog- 
ess commercially, materially, or along social and 
religious lines, receives his hearty support and 
co-operation. 



(fOHN M. BENNETT, a prominent agricult- 
I urist in the town of Dix, was born January 
(2/ 22, 1822, in the town of Catlin, Tioga Coun- 
ty, and is a son of Col. Green and Cynthia (Mc- 
Clure) Bennett. His father was a native of Penn- 
s\lvania, and when a young man located in Ti- 
oga County, N. Y., where he married Cynthia 
McClure. His father, Ephraim Bennett, was an 
early .settler of Pennsylvania, where three of his 
brothers were killed in the Wyoming Valley Mass- 
acre. Colonel Bennett was well known through- 
out Schuyler County, and while here filled nu- 
merous public offices, among them being Super- 



302 



I'ORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



visor of the town of Catliii. For some years he 
was Superintendent of the Chemung Canal, and 
in 1835 was elected to the State Legislature. His 
death occurred in the town of Dix in 1889, his 
wife having preceded him to the better world a 
number of years. 

When our subject was but ten years of age he 
commenced work on the tow-path of the canal, 
which occupation he followed until he attained 
his majority. He then entered the select school 
of Professor Gillett, of Havana, which he attend- 
ed three years. When twenty-three years old 
he purchased two hundred and twenty-three acres 
of timber-land in the town of Dix, which he par- 
tially cleared and finally sold. His marriage with 
Miss Clymena Sluitts, a native of Schuyler Coun- 
ty, occurred January 11, 1851. Three years of 
their married life were spent on the home place, 
and then lie purchased the farm which has since 
been his home, with the exception of five years 
spent in Arizona. In 1S75, on account of the 
failing health of Mrs. Bennett and their son, he 
was induced to travel with them in the far West. 
After traveling through a number of the West- 
ern States and Territories he finally concluded to 
remain in Arizona. During his residence there 
he engaged in stock dealing and grazing, and for 
three years was Postmaster of Walnut Grove. 
He was also appointed a Justice of the Peace, 
and at the election following his appointment he 
was elected to the office, which he retained until 
his return to New York. While tliere he al.so 
filled the office of School Trustee. 

The sojourn of the family in the West was at- 
tended with gratifying results, both Mrs. Bennett 
and her son fully recovering their health. In 
1879 they returned to their old home and again 
became identified with its history. In his agri- 
cultural operations Mr. Bennett has been very 
successful, and in spite of his recent disastrous loss 
of $10,000, caused by the failure of the First Na- 
tional Bank of Watkins. he is still carrying on 
improvements, at the present writing (1895) be- 
ing engaged in the erection of a large barn on the 
place. In addition to general farming, he has 
engaged in stock-raising, and until recently car- 
ried on sheep-raising quite extensively. I"\)r fifty 



years he has been a Master Mason, and for thirty 
years a Royal Arch Ma.son. He has always been 
interested in public affairs, and fur four years 
served as Postmaster of Moreland, besides filling 
various town offices. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Bennett three children were 
born: Ephraim J., a gFaduate of Union College 
and now Cashier of the Valley Bank at Phoeni.x, 
Ariz.; Oscar C, a student in Alfred vSeminary, 
and who is now conducting the home farm; and 
Burton G., a graduate of the business college of 
Rochester, who is now holding a responsible po- 
sition with the Northwestern Life Insurance Com- 
jiaiiy. Politically Mr. Bennett is a Democrat. 






^OHN CRANE, a retired farmer living in 
I the village of Catharine, was born August 
(2/ 16, 1814, in Seneca County, N. Y., and is a 
.son of David and Polly (Whitney) Crane, and 
the grandson of Belden Crane, who was of Eng- 
lish descent. When our subject was but five 
years of age the family removed to Tompkins 
County and located in the town of Hector, where 
the father purchased a tract of land and engaged 
in farming. Thirteen years later he removed to 
Schuyler County and purchased a farm in the 
town of Catharine, and here our subject re- 
mained, assisting in the cultivation of the farm 
until thirty-two years of age. On the 6th of De- 
cember, 1846, he was united in marriage with 
Elizabeth Sidney, who was born in the town of 
Xewfield, Tompkins County, but which was 
then a part of Chemung County. By this union 
there were born four children, two of whom are 
now living: Cora, the wife of Myron Hewitt, a 
farmer in the town of Catharine: and David B., 
a merchant in the village of Catharine, whose 
sketch appears el.se where in this work. 

After their marriage Mr. Crane still remained 



k 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



30?, 



on the home farm, which he operated, on account 
of the fact that his father was incapacitated by 
age from taking charge of the work. On the 
death of the father, he sold his interest in the 
estate and purchased one hundred and twenty 
acres of land east of Catharine, which was his 
home until 1891. That year he sold out and re- 
moved to the village of Catharine, where he has 
since lived a retired life. In politics he was orig- 
inally a Henry Clay Whig, with which party he 
voted until its dissolution, when he became a 
Republican, and has since voted that party's 
ticket. Both Mr. and Mrs. Crane have been 
members of the Methodist Kpiscojial Church for 
forty years. He has been a Master Ma.son for 
many years, holding membership with Myrtle 
Lodge No. 132, F. & A. M. For the past four 
}-ears Mr. Crane has been disabled from any ac- 
tive work by the rheumatism, but he bears his 
afflictions with Christian fortitude and with the 
blessed assurance that in the "home over there" 
he will lie free from pain. 

Zebulon Crane, the great-grandfather of our 
subject, removed to this locality from Tompkins 
County in 18 14, and for nian\- years was en- 
gaged in the mercantile business in partnership 
with his brother. Judge Samuel Crane. They 
were both members of the Presbyterian Church, 
and w^eremen of high Christian character and in- 
tegrity. It is a remarkable fact that no member 
of the Crane famil\- was ever arrested for any 
crime. The}' have always been honest, God-fear- 
ing men and women, and have lived in such a 
manner as to win the respect and confidence of all 
those with whom the}' were brought in contact. 



(TESSE snook. In the list of manufactur- 
I ing enterprises th-it have contributed to the 
\2/ prosperity oi Seneca County and to the ad- 
vancement of its material interests, mention 
should be made of the Waterloo Wagon Com- 



pany, Limited, one of the flourishing concerns of 
the village of Waterloo. The plant is a large 
one, and the products may be fomid on sale in 
the principal markets of the United States. The 
success of the firm and its enviable reputation 
among dealers and the retail trade are due, in no 
small degree, to the efibrls of Mr. Snook, who is 
Treasurer of the company, and who, through all 
the years of his connection with the enterprise, 
has labored to promote the quality of workman- 
ship and reliability of the products. 

In the town of Newton, Essex County, N. J., 
the subject of this article was born in 1830. His 
parents, William and Elizabeth (Drake; Snook, 
were also natives of New Jersey, where they 
were reared and married. In the year 1831 they 
removed to Seneca County and settled in the 
village of Waterloo, in which place the father, 
who was a miller by occupation, found work 
in the gristmill of Thomas Fatzinger, continuing 
with that gentleman for sixteen }ears. His death 
occurred in 1850, when he was forty-nine years 
of age, and his wife, who survived him many 
years, passed away in 1873, at the age of seven- 
ty-one. Both were devoted members of the Bap- 
tist Church. He was of German descent, while 
she traced her lineage, through her father, Dan- 
iel Drake, to English ancestors. 

Brought to Waterloo at the age of one vear, 
our subject has known no other home than this vil- 
lage. In boyhood he attended the public schools 
here, but at the age of twelve left school and be- 
gan to work in the Waterloo Woolen Mills. 
Later he was with his father in Thomas Fatz- 
inger's mills, remaii'ing there for many years 
after the death of his father. In 1867, forming a 
partnership with two other citizens of Waterloo, 
he began in the malting business as a member of 
the firm of Mickley, Snook ik. Fatzinger. They 
carried on a large trade, principally with New 
York and Philadelphia markets, but after .some 
years he sold his interest in the concern. 

In 1882 Mr. Snook aided in the organization 
of the Waterloo Wagon Company, Limited, of 
which, since 1887, he has been Treasurer. For 
four years or more he has been a .stockholder in 
the Waterloo Organ and Piano Company. He is 



304 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the owner of one hundred acres situated in the 
town of Fayette, and all of which is under excel- 
lent cultivation. While he has never displayed 
any partisanship in politics, he is known as a 
pronounced and loyal Republican, one who is de- 
voted to the welfare and success of his party. 



His business affairs have occupied his attention 

to the exclusion of public matters, and he has 
never been prevailed upon to accept official posi- 
tion, though for three j'ears he ser\'ed as School 
Trustee and aided considerably in advancing the 
interests of the W'aterloo schools. 




I 





JAMKS K. KING, M. D. 



WILLIAM E. LEFI-INGWELL. 





ftTl 

iicf=frrrpnifp 



,j^. 




THE C.LEN Sl'RINGS SANITAKIUM 



«l 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



307 




(TAMES KOSSUTH KING, M. D., Ph. D., ! 

I is President and Medical vSuperintendent of 
(*) The Glen Springs Sanitarinni at Watkins. 
No man can occupy this position without possess- 
ing those qualities that are worthy of public at- 
tention, and justify for him a place among the 
prominent men of the county. Such a man is 
Dr. King. He was born in Troy, N. Y., and was 
graduated from the medical department of Col- 
umbia College, New York City, in the Class of 
'77. After his formal graduation he spent six 
months in several of the celebrated hospitals of 
that city, gaining valuable experience. When 
he was thirty years of age he established himself 
in practice at Clifton Springs, where he remained 
until the year 1884. Then, feeling a noble anx- ; 
iety to improve himself in his profession, he vvent 
abroad, where he was engaged for two years 
studying the work of the masters in the great 
hospitals of Edinburgh, London, Paris, Vienna 
and Berlin. The last .six months of this time 
he was in the Rotunda Hospital of Dublin. 

In 1890 Dr. King, with William E. Leffingwell 
and Dr. E. D. Ivcffingwell, established The Glen 
Springs Sanitarium, which is the leading institu- 
tion of the kind in the state, the extensive 
grounds and the ample buildings affording accom- 
modations for more than two hundred guests. 
Dr. King is Medical Superintendent, and is ably 
assisted by those engaged with him in this great 
enterprise. It has won a high position in the re- 
gard of the most advanced and .scientific medical 
men of the surrounding country, and many of 
the leading physicians whose field of practice lies 



anywhere near it do not hesitate to recommend 
it to their patients. Consequently its guests are 
of a most superior class, as might be expected 
when they come by the direction of such emi- 
nent physicians as Charles L. Dana, M. Allen 
Starr, Alfred L. Loomis and Edward G. Jane- 
way. E. M. Moore, a noted physician of Roch- 
ester, is very active in directing patronage to 
this institution, which is entirely suited to the 
needs of many of his patients. 

Dr. King was married, in December, 1890, to 
Miss May Warner, daughter of Gen. Willard 
Warner, now a resident of Chattanooga, Tenn. 
The Doctor and his wife have one daughter. In 
politics Dr. King has always been a stanch Re- 
publican. 



.»>^®: 




.^t;»- 



ILLIAM E. LEFFINGWELL, the man- 
ager and principal proprietor of The Glen 
Springs Sanitarium, was the youngest son 
of Dr. Elisha Leffingwell, a distinguished physi- 
cian of western New York, and was born at Au- 
rora, on Cayuga Lake, July 10, 1855. He pre- 
pared for college in Cayuga Lake Academy, and 
entered Cornell University in September, 187 1, in 
the Class of '75, but left before graduation to 
continue liis studies in the collegiate department 



3o8 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of the Polytechnic Institute in the city of Brook- 
Ij'n. With the financial department of this in- 
stitution he became connected in 1875, remaining 
over seven years. 

In the summer of 1882, the sanitarium at Dans- 
villc having been destroyed by fire, Mr. Leffing- 
well was invited to as.sist his brothers and cousin 
in the organization of a new institution (now 
known as the Jackson Sanitarium), and of this, 
for several years, he was Treasurer and Manager. 
In January, 1890, happening to visit the site of 
the present establishment at Watkins, he became 
convinced that, with its singular variety of valu- 
able mineral springs and magnificent situation, 
overlooking Seneca Lake, it was an ideal place 
for a great health resort, and with Dr. James K. 
King, Dr. E. D. Leffingwell and other a.s.sociates, 
he founded The Glen Springs Sanitarium, of 
which he is the manager and principal owner. 

Mr. Leffingwell has attained high rank in tlie 
Masonic fraternity. He is a thirty-second degree 
Mason, a Knight Templar, and has been Di.strict 
Deputy Grand Master of the Twentieth Masonic 
Di.strict in the .state of New York. 



r:^ 



^^ 



_S 



L-T- 



'?^lllJ5§^" 



'XU 



I AWSON PONTIUS well deserves represen- 
I C tation in this volume, and it is with pleasure 
l_2/ that we present to our readers this record of 
his life. He resides in the town of Fayette, 
Seneca County, and is well and widely known 
throughout its bounds as a progressive and enter- 
jirising farmer and stock-rai.ser. Mr. Pontius was 
born in this town, September 13, 1845, and was 
here reared to manhood and educated in the 
schools which were carried on in the district. 

The parents of our subject were Philip and 
Susan (Crobaugh) Pontius, the former a native 
of Fayette, while the latter was born in Cumber- 
land County, Pa. Philiji Pontius was a farmer 
by occupation, and the first piece of property 



which he purchased, in 1S50, consisted of one 
hundred and fifty-six acres. This estate is now- 
owned by his son, our subject, and is one of the 
best cultivated tracts in the town. 

The parental family consisted of four children, 
of whom the eldest, Ellen, married John N. 
Kipp, and makes her home in this town; Lawson, 
of tliis history, w,as the second-born; Christopher 
C. is a farmer in the town of Romulus: and Lu- 
cinda, now Mrs. Charles E. Berry, makes her 
home in Seneca Falls. Her hu.sband is also the 
owner of a valuable tract of land in the town of 
Fayette. Although taking an active interest in 
the success of the Democratic party, whose can- 
didates he always supported, the father of our 
subject w'as never desirous of holding office. He 
departed this life in February, 1879, while his 
good wife survived until 1882, passing awa\- in 
March of that year. 

As stated above, our subject was reared on the 
farm which he now occupies, under the careful 
training of his father learning to become a 
thorough agriculturist, and early in life was com- 
petent to take charge of affairs. He was mar- 
ried, Jaiuiary 19, 1866, to Miss Mary C. Lusk, 
then living in Waterloo, but whose birth occurred 
about 1845, in the town of Fayette. She is the 
daughter of William A. and Elizabeth A, 
(Thorpe) Lusk, well-to-do residents of this lo- 
cality. To Mr. and Mrs. Pontius there have 
been born two children. Philip S., wlio.se birth 
occurred in the town of Ronmlus, July 6, 1872, 
is a well educated young man, completing his 
studies in the Geneva High School. Paul T. was 
born in the town of Fayette, October 2, 1878. 

At one time Philip Pontius owned a tract of one 
hundred and seventy acres, located in the town 
of Romulus, besides property in the village of 
South Waterloo, which he .sold for $3,000. He 
was truly self-made, and was well known and 
highly respected througiiout the county. In the 
use of his money he was very generous, and lost 
considerable by going security for other people. 

After his marriage our subject lived on the 
farm in the town of Romulus for a period 
of four years, working it on .shares for his 
father. At the expiration of that time he moved 



k 



J 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



309 



upon the old homestead, and has continued to 
make it his abiding-place e\er since. In addition 
to his farming interests, Mr. Pontius is connected 
with the West Fayette Tile Works, with which 
he became as.sociated in the spring of 1895. He 
is a man of superior business ability, and, with a 
fertile mind directing industrious hands, he has 
achie\-ed success. In politics he is a Democrat, 
and for twelve years in succession filled the oflice 
of Justice of the Peace. During that time his 
decisions were always sustained, anil no case was 
ever appealed. Socially he belongs to Ro.se Hill 
Lodge, P. of H., and became a member of 
Kendaia Grange in the town of Romulus, in 
which he filled manv of the chairs. 



@, M^h. ^ 



r~LAVIUS W. NORTHRUP, who is engaged 
ry in a general commission business at Beaver 
I Dams, is a representative of one of the old 
families of Dutchess County. He was born in 
that county September 17, 1840, being one of a 
family of twelve children born to Ora and Eliza 
(Ward) Northrup, both born in 1801, the former 
in Dutchess Count}-, and the latter in Seneca 
County. The father, who was a highly respected 
citizen of Dutchess County, and who for some 
years was Justice of the Peace, died in 1853. 
The Northrup family were of Engli.sh origin and 
were among the early settlers of Dutchess County, 
Solomon Northrup, the grandfather of our sub- 
ject, being a native of that county. He was a 
large farmer, and on their marriage gave to his 
twelve children $1,000 apiece, be.sides leaving 
considerable money at the time of his death. 

Flavius W. was but eight years of age when 
his father died, and but twelve years old when 
the family removed to Elmira, N. Y., where for 
a time he was employed as a clerk in a boot and 
shoe store. In the public .schools of his native 



place, and also at Elmira, he obtained a good 
English education. After the age of fifteen, his 
elder brothers having married, the care of the 
family and widowed mother devolved, to a great 
extent, upon him. When eighteen he rented a 
farm near the city, which he operated with 
reasonable success for four years, when he gave 
up farming and entered a shoe store as clerk. 
After remaining in that capacity one j'ear, he 
engaged in the boot and shoe trade for himself, 
in which he continued three years. On account 
of failing health, he was compelled to give up 
the business, and for the succeeding four years 
was engaged as a traveling salesman for a boot 
and shoe house. 

October 7, 1869, while engaged in traveling, 
our subject married Miss Josephine Seaman, a 
native of Dutchess County, born August 18, 
1845, and a daughter of Egbert C. and Eliza 
(\'an Wagner I Seaman. The latter was a sister 
of William \'an Wagner, the "learned black- 
smith " of Poughkeepsie, and also of James Van 
Wagner, the " Beecher of the West," who w^as 
for years pastor of the Congregational Church at 
Sedalia, Mo., and while there was called to Texas 
to establish the first Congregational Church in 
that state. He was an eloquent man, and one 
season, while Henry Ward Beecher was absent, 
Mr. Van Wagner filled his Brooklyn pulpit. By 
our subject's marriage three sons and one daugh- 
ter were born: Evelyn I., the wife of Prof. I. C. 
Corbett, Professor of Horticulture and Forestrv 
in the West Mrginia University at Morgantown; 
Leonard E., who is still at home, and who is 
interested in business with his father; Arthur H., 
a student in the medical department of Columbia 
College, New York City; and Seaman F. , who is 
a student at Cook's Academy, and who proposes 
to adopt the profession of law. 

After his marriage, our subject located in El- 
mira, but after traveling two years again en- 
gaged in bu.sine.ss for himself. Two years later 
he sold out, and in 1874 removed to Beaver Dams, 
where he purchased a stock of boots and shoes 
and continued in business until 1880, when he 
sold out and again took up traveling, this time 
for a wholesale grocery house. W'ith the latter 



3to 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



establishment he remained two years, and then 
for ten years was with the Robert Seaman Com- 
panj', of New York. ' At the expiration of that 
time, although not severing his connection with 
the New York house, he engaged in his present 
business, making a specialty of handling wool 
and general farm produce, buying and shipping 
all the wool from this part of the county. He 
also handles in large quantities apples, pota- 
toes and butter. 

Mr. and Mrs. Northrup are members of the 
Presbyterian Church, and he is a strong temper- 
ance man, having at times been connected with 
the Sons of Temperance and Good Templars. 
He is also identified with the Knights of Honor, 
and in each society mentioned has held an official 
position. In politics he is a Republican, and 
cast his first Presidential vote for Lincoln. 



•*->> 



K-*- 



^-H 



^•^5^^*- 



ISAAC JOLLY is a prominent and wealthy 
farmer of Seneca County, and his beautiful 
home, with its trees and flowers, proclaims to 
the stranger that it is tlie abode of culture and 
refinement. His fine estate is located in the town 
of Fayette, in which locality he was Ijorn, May 
17, 1831. His parents were William and Emily 
(Austin) Jolly. His grandfather, who bore the 
name of Isaac, came to Seneca County from the 
Keystone State in an early day. The latter was 
a farmer by occupation and was married in Penn- 
.sylvania to a lady of Dutch descent. He came 
to tliis county poor indeed, but so successful was 
he in his farming ventures that at his death he 
was the proud possessor of one hundred and fifty 
acres of valuable land, besides having consider- 
able money in tlie bank. 

During the boyliood days of our .subject his 
father was unable to send him to school very regu- 
larly, hence his education was .somewhat limited. 



On one occasion, when it became necessary for 
him to have an arithmetic, he went to work and 
cut a quantity of wood from the unimproved 
farm, and, being given half of this, sold it and 
thus obtained the money to buy the needed book. 

Our subject remained at home aiding his father 
until after attaining his majority, when, Septem- 
ber 7, 1852, he was married to Miss Rebecca 
Leddick, the daughter of Samuel and Cornelia 
Leddick. Her birth occurred in the town of 
Fayette, April 15, 1834. She was of great assist- 
ance to her hu.sband, and aided him ver\- materi- 
allj- in obtaining his present high standing in the 
community. For two summers after his marriage 
our subject worked out for $18 per month, and 
then, receiving a good offer to conduct a farm on 
.shares, accepted it, and for three years and a-half 
received a good portion of the crops from an 
estate of one hundred and sixty acres. In this 
manner he saved quite a .snug little sum of money, 
with which he purchased from the other heirs a 
portion of the old homestead. Later he disposed 
of this tract and invested his means in one hun- 
dred and twenty-three acres, located near the old 
place. In order to do this he was obliged to go 
in debt over $6,000, but upon selling the property 
two years later he found that he had not only 
made enough money to pay for the land, but had 
cleared $6,500. 

Mr. Jolly then bought the one hundred and 
thirty and one-quarter acres in this town which 
he still owns. The land is improved with the 
best class of buildings, among the most notice- 
able of which is a fine large barn, which was 
erected in August, 1893, to replace the one which 
had been destroyed by fire a .short time before. 
In all, Mr. Jolly works four hundred and twenty 
acres of fanning land, though he does not own 
the whole amount. 

Two children were born to our subject and his 
wife, namely: Sarah Lavinia, who died when 
eleven years of age: and Fred, born November 4, 
1867. The latter is acti\-e, wide-awake and well 
educated, and a man of temperate habits, using 
neither tobacco in any form nor intoxicating drink. 
December 25, 1S88, he nuirried Miss Cora, the 
daughter of Henry I^ahr. To them have been 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3" 



born a daughter and two sons: Jessie, Frank and 
Alva. Our subject's son aids in the operation 
of the home farm, and so manages affairs that the 
best results are readied. In addition to this the 
latter gives some time and attention to raising 
hogs, which he ships to the city markets. In 
politics he is a Democrat, as is also our subject, 
whose first Presidential vote was cast for Franklin 
Pierce, in 1852. 




(pi NDREW JACKSON BARTLETT, who re- 
r I sides in the town of Romulus, is a well 
/ I known citizen of Seneca County-, and is one 
of its most enterprising men. For manj' years 
he has been identified with the Grange move- 
ment, and is at present County Deputy of that 
organization, taking an active part in all its pro- 
ceedings. Several of the best Granges in the 
county were organized by him in 1874. He was 
also one of the organizers of the insurance com- 
pany in 1876, at which time he was elected Secre- 
tary, and has discharged the duties of the office 
until the present time, a period of nineteen years. 
Much of the success of the company is due to his 
untiring energy and the persistency with which 
he has pushed the enterprise. In addition to 
farming and the management of the insurance 
business, since 1883 he has been engaged in 
selling agricultural implements, keeping good 
stock of all kinds upon his farm and selling at 
prices that cannot be met by competitors. 

Mr. Bartlett is a native of Seneca County, born 
October 30, 1832. His early life was spent upon 
the home farm, and his education was received 
in the common schools of Geneva and Ovid Acad- 
emy. When eighteen jears of age he began life 
for himself, working at anything that his hand 
could find to do, but soon he engaged in the 
wagon-maker's trade, which he followed for sev- 



eral years in connection with farming. From 
1857 to i860 he was engaged in the photograph 
business in Waterloo and Romulus, in which line 
he was fairly successful. In 1862 he removed 
to his present place of residence, which has now 
been his home for a third of a centurj'. In 1865 
he was engaged at work as a carpenter, a trade 
which he followed more or less for several years. 
In connection with farming he has been engaged 
for some years in the breeding of Hambletonian 
horses. 

On the 30th of October, 1861, Mr. Bartlett was 
united in marriage with Miss Nancy A. Coryell, 
by whom he had six children, namely; Abigail 
A., at home; Emma L., who died in infancy; 
Marj'J., the wife of Frank Osborne; John C, 
who died in infancy; EbenezerS., who died when 
thirteen years of age; and Rosalie, at home. In 
politics Mr. Bartlett is a Democrat; since 1865 he 
has been a Justice of the Peace continuously, and 
twice was elected to the office of Justice of Ses- 
sions. He is a member of the Board of Health, 
and is In.spector of Elections. Fraternally he is a 
member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows. As a citizen he is universally esteemed 
and has the confidence of the community in which 
he resides, as is attested b)^ his long continuance 
in the office of Justice of the Peace. 



-i — »"t- 



-■A — f- 



-4— »-t- 



-.-«—«- 



ROBERT ROSS STEELE. The Steele fam- 
ilj- have a right to the title of American citi- 
zens, as their ance.stors came to this country 
prior to the Revolutionary War. John and Mar- 
garet Steele, the grandparents of the subject of 
this sketch, died about 1780, in Somerset Coun- 
ty, N. J., and it is supposed they emigrated to 
this country from Ireland. They had three chil- 
dren: John, born in 1750; Esther, in 1770; and 
Alexander, the father of our .subject. He was 



(12 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



born in Somerset County, N. J., December 25, 
1757, and married Nancy Scudders, of Essex 
County, N. J. They took up their residence in 
Readington, Hunterdon County, and the fruits 
of this union were nine children, of whom Rob- 
ert R. was the youngest, he having been born at 
that place December 12, 1S05. 

While Robert was yet young, his parents and 
the entire famih', excepting John and Richard, 
removed to the shores of Seneca Eake, in Seneca 
County, within four miles of where the village 
of Romulus now stands. The homestead then 
located has remained in the family e\er since. 
The other members of the family were John, Rich- 
ard, Mary, Stites, Rebecca, Thomas, Margaret 
and Hetty Ann, in the order named. 

The father died February 14, 1820, survived 
by all his children, and Nancy, his wife, who 
lived to be eighty-four years of age, died March 
6, 185 1. Mary, Thomas, Margaret and Hetty re- 
mained single, while all the others married and 
added to the family growth. Rebecca married 
Peter L. Dey, of Varick, and has two sons: Da- 
vid P., an engineer; and John, manager of the 
New York Evangelist, both of whom li\'e in New 
York City, and a daughter, who resides in Mis- 
souri. In 1840 Stites .Steele came to Romulus 
and entered into the mercantile business with 
Robert R., which was continued up to the time 
of his death, five years later. He left a widow, 
Sarah (Ten Eyck) Steele; a daughter, Mary Aim, 
now Mrs. Charles H. Sayre, of Romulus; and a 
son, Alexander, who is decea.sed. After their 
father's death Richard and John also came to 
Romulus. When about seventy years of age, the 
former married Mrs. Mary Fleming, and by her 
had two children, John and Mary. The former 
resides in Romulus with his mother, and the lat- 
ter is the wife of Henry Becker, and resides at 
Geneva. All the .sons and daughters of Alex- 
ander Steele died and are buried at Romulus, 
being near in death as they were in life. 

Robert R., the subject of this .sketch, spent the 
days of his boyhood and youth on the family 
homestead. When about eighteen he returned 
to New Jersey, taking a clerkship at Reading- 
ton. While there he was married to Amanda 



Taylor, and three children were born to them 
during their residence in that state. While he 
was living in New Jersey he had a remunerative 
trade, which he sold in 1840 to his chief clerk, 
and returned with his family to Romulus, N. Y. 
In connection with his brother Stites, he opened a 
merchandise establishment at Romulus, which 
he controlled until both his brother and himself 
were laid with the father in the old churchyard 
cemeterj-. At the time of his death he was the 
oldest merchant in the western section of New 
York, having done bu.siness for fort\--three con- 
secutive years in one location, selling goods to 
many families for several generations. This in 
it.self is the best possible evidence of his upright 
business methods. 

In politics our subject was a Democrat, and 
represented his county in the State Legislature 
from 1857 to 1859, and again from 1872 to 1874. 
While not a polished speaker, he was recognized 
as a man of force, serving on many important 
committees in the House, also in his party, and 
was a delegate at the famous Charleston Conven- 
tion, where his party split. He took strong sides 
with Douglas, and when the war broke out there 
was no more stanch Union defender than Robert 
R. Steele. He was known as a "war Democrat," 
though he favored peace when the war was over. 
In the campaign of 1872 he supported Greelej-, 
and thereafter affiliated with the Democratic 
party, of which he was one of the recognized 
leaders in his section until his death. The peo- 
ple of the town of Varick showed their confi- 
dence in his integrity and j;ood judgment by re- 
peatedly choo.sing him to fill town offices. Al- 
though not a church member, he was Parish 
Trustee all his mature life. 

For a short time after returning to New York 
our subject occupied the old homestead, but .soon 
built a mansion of his own. He was interested 
in various enterprises in and about Romulus and 
Waterloo, al.so with his son George W. at Peoria, 
111. He died April 18, 1883, and his wife in 
1 88 1. To them were born seven children, the 
eldest of whom is Richard M. The other mem- 
bersof the family were George, who died in 1885, 



aged forty-eight; Elizabeth, Mrs. 



George 



H. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



313 



McClellan, of Chicago, 111.; John R., who mar- 
ried and resides at Ontario, N. Y. ; Robert, who 
never married, and died here in 1873, aged twen- 
ty-seven years; William G., who resided for a 
time at Peoria, 111., and died in 1887, aged thir- 
ty-nine, leaving no family; and Eugenia S., who 
married George Bryan, of Peoria, 111., where she 
now resides. 

Richard M. was born at Readington, N. J., 
and was six years of age when his father re- 
moved to New York. When .sixteen years old 
he entered his brother's store, and at maturity 
was taken into partnership, the firm being styled 
Robert R. Steele & Son. In 1873 he retired 
from the firm to accept the position of Vice-Presi- 
dent of the Geneva & Ithaca Railroad, now a 
part of the Lehigh Valley System. It was largely 
through his exertions that the road was built, 
it being the first road con.structed in the county, 
and he opened it up for both east and we.st coimec- 
tion. While he was identified with the road it 
was extended from Ithaca to Sayre, a distance of 
about one hundred miles, with headquarters at 
the former place. 

The completion of this road and the driving of 
the last spike at Romulus was an event in the 
history of the town that will not be forgotten as 
long as one of the participants survives. Good 
financering put the road in a rising position, and 
after a connection with it for about five years Mr. 
Steele and his associates disposed of it to advan- 
tage to them,selves, a rather rare occurrence in the 
history of railroad building. After disposing of his 
railway interests he went to Peoria, 111., where 
he was engaged in business for five years. His 
health failing, he returned to Romulus, where for 
the past ten or twelve years he has devoted his 
time to the cultivation of the .soil. He has a 
fine grape farm, consisting of .some forty acres, and 
has assisted in making New York the greatest 
grape-growing state in the Union. He has al- 
ways taken an active part in politics, affiliating 
with the Democratic party. In 1852 he was mar- 
ried to Miss Frances A. vSwan, daughter of Henry 
Swan, of Romulus. They have one son, Henry 
Frederick, who was engaged in business for a 
time in Chicago, 111., but is now residing in 



Romulus with his parents on the old homestead, 
and is in partnership with his father in grape 
culture and other intere.sts. He married Mary 
Grier, daughter of Robert G. Grier, of Peoria, 
111. 

Richard M. Steele is a public-spirited citizen, 
taking much interest in the advancement of the 
town. He is a Trustee of the Episcopal Church 
at Romulus, and was instrumental in building the 
Catholic Church at this place. Since his father's 
death he and his family have resided on the old 
homestead. 






(lABEZ W. MILLER is not only a prosper- 
I ous and progressive farmer, but is an intelli- 
(2/ gent citizen, one who is thoroughly posted 
on all public affairs. Now in the prime of life, 
he occupies a front rank among the energetic 
farmers of Schuyler Coujity, and, owing to the 
attention paid to every minor detail, he has ac- 
cumulated a fair share of this world's goods. He 
is now the owner of a fine farm of eighty-six 
acres in the town of Reading, on which he located 
in 1884. 

Mr. Miller is the son of Sergeant and Jane 
(Smithj Miller, the former of whom departed 
this life in this town November 30, 1874. He 
was the father of nine children, five of whom 
grew to mature years, namely: Lewis, John H., 
JabezW., Carrie M. and Clay. 

Our subject was born in the town of Reading 
June 22, 1855, and remained with his parents 
until the time of his marriage, in Schu\ler Coun- 
ty, to Miss Mary Jane Hicks. Mrs. Miller is the 
daughter of Solr)mon and Christania (Powell) 
Hicks, the former of whom was killed by a tree 
j falling on him, March 22, 1S61, while he was in 
I the woods cutting timber. His widow still sur- 
I vives, making her home at the present lime in 



314 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Radford, Steuben County, N. Y. Their family 
included four children: Charles, Albert, Cordelia 
and Mary Jane. (Albert Hicks' history may be 
found on another page in this volume, i 

Mrs. Miller was born in the town of Orange, 
this county, March 2, i860. By her union with 
our subject there were born seven children, of 
whom those living are Minnie C, born October 
29, 1878; Mott D., January 3, 1881; Bessie M., 
April 25, 1884; Delia, November 25, 1886; and 
Orville C, March 22, 1889. Sargeant died when 
an infant of twelve months, June 12, 1883, and 
Jabez also passed away in infancy, March 19, 
1895. 

At the lime of his marriage our subject rented 
a tract of land in the town of Tyrone, and after 
residing upon it for a year changed his location 



to rented property in the town of Orange. His 
stay there also lasted twelve months, after which 
he removed to the town of Dix, with the inter- 
ests of which place he was identified for five 
years. At the expiration of that time he worked 
on a farm in the town of Reading for a year, and 
then, or in 1S84, purchased and removed to 
his pre.sent fine estate, since which time he has 
made it his home. Everj-thing about the place 
indicates that an experienced and competent hand 
is at the helm. 

Both Mr. and Mrs. Miller are active workers 
and members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
They are active in all good works, and are classed 
among the public-spirited and esteemed citizens 
of the county. Politicall_\- Mr. Miller is a Re- 
publican. 





JOHN W. WARNER. 




MRS. lOHN \V. WARNKR. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3'9 




^@^i4^eK 



JOHN W. WARNER. 



-^^^^l;^ 




(lOHN W. WARNER. This, in brief, is the 
I sketch of a man whose present substantial 
G/ position in life has been reached entireh' 
through his own perseverance, and the facts con- 
nected with his life only show what a person 
with courage and enlightened views can accom- 
plish. His reputation for honesty and integrity 
has been tried and not found wanting; his finan- 
cial ability has been more than once put to the 
te.st, but never without credit to himself; his .social 
qualities are well known and appreciated, and he 
has hosts of friends, whose confidence and esteem 
are his highest eulogiuni. He is now living in 
the town of Reading, Schuyler County, where he 
is the owner of a quartei -section of fine land. 

Our subject was born in Starkey, Yates Coun- 
ty, this state, February 9, 1832. His father was 
Dr. John Warner, a native of Litchfield, Conn., 
while his mother, whose maiden name was Mary 
DeWitt, was born in Chemung County, N. Y. 
After their marriage they located in Yates Coun- 
ty, where the father continued in active practice 
until his death, when in liis sixty-.sixth year. 
His wife survived him many years, passing away 
at the age of eighty years. They l)ecame the 
parents of a famil\- of six children, three sons and 
three daughters, ;ind of these our subject was the 
youngest. 

John W. was a lad of eight \ears at the time 
of his father's death, and soon thereafter his 
widowed mother with her children came to Schuy- 
11 



ler County, locating in the town of Reading. Here 
our subject was reared and educated, and with tlie 
exception of two or three years spent in his native 
county, has made this locality his home since that 
time. He has been engaged in various enter- 
prises, in one and all of which he has met with 
success. For about four years he was employed 
in shipping lumber, used for the building of ves- 
sels, to New York City, and upon abandoning 
that enterpri.se was engaged for the .same length 
of time in the United States revenue service. 

The marriage of Mr. Warner with Miss Nancy 
Corbett was celebrated January 6, 1S53. The 
lady was born in the to\^■n of Reading, Septem- 
ber 19, 1S33. and was the daughter of Chester 
and Sally Corbett, well-to-do and liighU- es- 
teemed residents of this couut> . Mr. and Mrs. 
Warner became the parents of three children: 
James W., who died in infancy; Ada M. and In- 
diauola W. Ada is now the widow of John R. 
Linzey; the younger daughter married Henry 
Vosburgh, and makes her home on the old home- 
stead. 

Although at all times interested in the welfare 
of his community, Mr. Warner has in no .sense of 
the word been an office-.seeker. He has proved 
himself to be a valued citizen of the county, and 
when the First National P)nnk of Watkins sus- 
pended, he was appointed Receiver for the defunct 
institution. Since 1876 he has been employed 
by the Fall Brook Railroad Company as agent at 



320 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Reading, and in his duties he is greatly assisted by 
his daughter Indianola. From his long term 
of service it must be conceded that he gives en- 
tire satisfaction. He takes no part in politics 
other than to cast his vote in favor of Democratic 
candidates and principles. In the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, with which both he and his 
wife are connected, he isactiveh' interested, hav- 
ing filled man\' offices in the .same, and by con- 
tributing liberally of his means has aided greatly 
in pushing forward the good work in his commu- 
nity. As .stated above, Mr. Warner is the pro- 
prietor of one hundred and sixty acres of highly 
cultivated land, on which have been erected good 
and substantial buildings, and there all the farm 
machinery necessarj- for carrying on a first-class 
estate mav be seen. 



-4--^ t^s^ji 



fi®J<i- 



LISHA KENNEY HULBERT. Engraved 
**) upon the seal of the state of Michigan, one 
^ finds this question and its answer, "Would 
you seek a beautiful peninsula? Look around." 
So might the man whose name ojiens this arti- 
cle say, "Do you seek for monuments and evi- 
dences of my handiwork? Look upon the stores 
and dwellings of the village of Waterloo; for I 
have erected many of them, and advised and 
planned the construction of others." This has 
been the life work of Mr. Hulbert. Although he 
is now retired from active life, he can look back 
over years of hone.st toil in which his industry, 
honesty and native good sen.se have greatly de- 
termined the growth of the town and count\-, and 
even beyond. 

Mr. Hulbert is a native of Waterloo, having 
first .seen the light November 8, 1S20, and is a 
son of Elijah and Rebecca (Kinney) Hulbert. 
For two generations his paternal ancestors had 
lived in Columbia County, his father having been 
born there in 1790, and his grandfather l)eing 



among the earliest settlers of that county. In 
181 5 the father of our subject removed with his 
famil)' to Waterloo, where he resided until the 
day of his death, in 1853. By trade he was a 
carpenter, and built the first frame house that 
was erected in the limits of the present village of 
Waterloo. The building is still standing, and is 
in a good state of preservation, which shows the 
honest character both of goods and labor of that 
early day. His wife long survived him, dyi;ig 
in (875. 

Mr. Hulbert, our subject, is the eldest of a 
famih- of five children, who lived to maturity. 
Reuben D. has since died; Gideon F. is at pres- 
ent a citizen of Waterloo; Harriet, the only sis- 
ter, has gone over to the "great majority;" 
Charles H. is an inhabitant of Montgomer>- 
County, Kan. As a boy, Elisha attended the 
Waterloo common school, and when old enough 
to go to work undertook to learn the trade of 
carpenter and joiner under his father's instruc- 
tion. This he thoroughly mastered, beccming 
an adept not only in woodwork, but in the sci- 
ence and art of building, and in this he has been 
actively engaged for more than fifty years. At 
first everything had to be made by hand, involv- 
ing not only a vast amount of hard work, but 
honesty and faithfulness in a high degree. He 
kept pace with the rapid improvement of his call- 
ing, and has profited by all the new ideas in 
labor-saving machinery. As noted above, he has 
constructed many of the dwelling-houses and 
stores of the village, always to the satisfaction of 
those with whom he has had dealings. During 
his active years he had a long engagement with 
the New York Central Railway in building wa- 
ter-houses and tanks along the line between Syra- 
cu.se and Rochester, being employed in this ca- 
pacity for more than eight years. For a time he 
was engaged in an express business, and in 1886 
he came into control of the city .scales, which he 
still owns. 

In 1844 Miss vSusan Warren became the wife 
of our subject. She was a resident of Waterloo, 
but came originally from the old Bay State. 
They have had four children. Ivlla F. is at 
home; Charles vS. has long since entered into the 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



"land of the leal;" Harriet is Mrs. William H. 
Shaiid, of Rocliester. There was one child who 
died in infancy. 

In politics Mr. Hulbert votes with the Demo- 
cratic party. He has been Commissioner of 
Highways, and Assessor of the village of Water- 
loo. In the Methodist Epi.scopal Church he has 
been a great help, both he and his wife having 
been devoted members of that organization. .She 
died in 1881. The family residence is on \'ir- 
ginia Street, and here Mr. Hulbert has resided 
for fifty years. 

The ancestry of our subject was of the best 
that the colonies afforded. His great-grandfather, 
Samuel Hulbert, emigrated from England and 
.settled in Sharon, Conn., afterward removing to 
Burlington, Ma.ss. His grandfather died iu Co- 
lumbia County in 18 18, and was associated with 
many of the stirring events of early New York 
historv. 



•*-H 



H-*- 



-*HH 



^-^^^ft- 



5)E(JRGE W. BOCKOVEN, who is now living 
_l retired from the active duties of life, at one 
J time owned his father's old homestead in 
Seneca County. He was born in what was then 
the town of Junius, now a part of the town of 
Seneca Falls, July 17, 18 16. His parents were 
Peter and Rachel (Riggs) Bockoven, the father 
a native of New Jersey. Of the mother's people 
but little is known, but it is supposed they were 
born either in Rhode Island or Connecticut. In 
Morris County, N, J., she was married to Peter 
Bockoven, and to them were born, in that state, 
two children, who also died there. 

Mr. Bockoven tlien came to New York, making 
location in this count\', on the west bank of Cay- 
uga Lake. He was accompanied on this tri]) by 
his brother-in-law, and together they bought a 
squattei's claim, but afterward paid the Govern 



ment for the tract. For his share Peter Bock- 
oven was given one hundred and fifteen acres, and 
to this he afterward added seventy -five acres ad- 
joining, and at another time he bought an estate 
containing one hundred and forty-five acres. Of 
the parental family, one child died in this county 
and three grew to mature years. Betsey Ann, 
one of our subject's sLsters, married William 
Boardman. They afterward moved to Cook Coun- 
ty, 111., where the wife died, leaving two chil- 
dren. Phebe became the wife of George Powis, 
and is now living in Geneva; her family includes 
three children. 

The father of our subject, who was born in the 
year 1785, lived to be eighty-.seven years of age. 
He was a life-long Democrat, and in 1834 was 
elected to the General Assembly, serving one 
term. At one time he was also As.sessor of the 
town of Junius, which district was then made up 
of what is now the towns of T\re, Junius, \\'ater- 
loo and Seneca Falls. 

George W. Bockoven is what ma\- be called a 
.self-made man, both in the matter of education 
and finances. He was obliged to work very hard 
when young, being permitted to attend .school 
but a short time each winter after he was old 
enough to be of any assistance to his father. On 
attaining liis majority he a.s.sumed the manage- 
ment of the home place, carrying on affairs in a 
most satisfactory manner. November i, 1838, 
he was married to Miss Maria Woodruff, of the 
town of Fayette, and four children were granted 
them, two of whom are married and slill living. 
One son, Peter, enlisted in the late war in 1861, 
and died soon after the battle of Gettysburg, in 
which conflict he had taken part. He was a 
member of Lincoln's cavalr\-, and as a result of 
the exposure to wliich the\- were subjected he 
sickened and died in the hospital at Washington. 
His remains were brouglit home and interred in 
the cemeterv at Canoga. Mrs. Bockoven died 
.\pril 10, 1847, and was buried at Bridgeport, 
N. Y. 

Our subject was married, in October, 1849, to 
Miss Fessonia Chatham, a nati\e of the town of 
Fayette, tliis county. Two children have been 
born to them: Chauncey, a graduate of the I'ni- 



322 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



v^ersity of Pennsylvania; and Laura, the wife of 
Charles Wayne. After completing hi.s literary 
education, Chauncey engaged in the commi.ssioii 
business in Philadelphia. He was married, and 
departed this life in Chicago. 

In politics Mr. Bockoven is a Republican, al- 
though he cast his first Presidential vote for \'an 
Buren in 1840. He was a strong anti-slavery 
man, and in 1856 supported John C. Fremont, 
and in i860 voted for Abraham Lincoln. He has 
ever since been identified with the "grand old 
party." On the Republican ticket he was elected 
Highway Commissioner, serving acceptably for 
one term. When sixteen or seventeen years of 
age he joined the Presbyterian Church, and has 
from that time to the present been an influential 
member of his congregation, which he has served 
many years as Trustee. 

At one time Mr. Bockoven owned his father's 
entire estate, but from time to time he has dis- 
posed of portions of it, only retaining a few acres 
for his own use. He has been very successful in 
life and is now in the receipt of a handsome in- 
come, which enables him to live peaceably and 
enjoy the comforts of life. 






"^^^^o^W^' 



lALKER GLAZIER, late of the town of 
Covert, Seneca County, was a representa- 
tive farmer of this section, and a highly re- 
spected citizen. Our subject was born in Wor- 
cester, Mass. , January 16, 1789, and was the son 
of Oliver GJazier, whose birth occurred in Shrews- 
bury, May 23, 1763. The latter served as a soldier 
in the Revolutionary War, and was a brave and 
fearless man. The maiden name of his wife was 
Rachel Hastings. To them were born ten chil- 
dren, six .sons and four daughters. 

Walker Glazier, of this history, was fairly edu- 
cated, and at the age of nineteen he began life for 



himself. He went from Boston to Baltimore and 
Philadelphia, and finally to Peekskill, N. Y., 
where he married Miss Cornelia Travis. To 
them was granted a family of eight children. Of 
this household Henry, born November 6, 1813, 
died at the age of eighty years; John, born May 
7, 18 16, passed away at the age of fifty-two 
years; Rachel, born Ma}' 10, 1818, was married 
to Asaph K. Porter, and died in 1894; Phebe 
was born June 15, 1820, is unmarried and owns 
and lives on the old homestead; James T. born 
September 5, 1822, is living at Hornellsville; 
Eliza, bom May 29, 1825, is the wife of Travis 
Hopkins; Susan, born July 30, 1828, is the widow 
of Lewis Rappleye, and makes her home at Os- 
wego: Cornelia, born October 28, 1830, is the 
wife of William H. Van Dusen, and lives at 
HornelLsville. 

The original of this .sketch was reared to farm 
work, and when nineteen years of age began life 
for himself. He first engaged in the manufact- 
ure of nails, following this for a number of \-ears, 
and then abandoned it to engage in the mercan- 
tile trade. This occupied his time and attention 
for four years, and at the end of that time, in 
1825, the records tell us that he removed to Sen- 
eca County. He made his way to the town of 
Covert by means of the canal. Previous to com- 
ing here, however, he had purchased eighty acres 
of land located one mile north of Covert, and here 
Mr. Glazier lived nine years. 

We next find our subject living in the town of 
Ovid, where he became the proprietor of two 
hundred acres of land, which he cultivated two 
years, and then, or in 1836, took possession of 
the place now occupied bj- his daughter, Phebe 
Glazier. It comprises one hundred and twenty- 
five acres of excellent land located one mile north 
of Trumansburg, and it has been in possession of 
him or some one of his family about sixty years. 
His death occurred in Trumansburg in 1873, and 
his remains were laid in Grove Cemetery. In 
the Baptist Church, of which he was a member, 
he was one of the workers. For some ten years 
he was Ju.stice of the Peace, and filled many 
places of trust in his town. Mr. GlaV.ier was a 
very successful man, and accumulated a goodly 



k 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



323 



share of this world's goods. In 1859 he was 
united in marriage with Miss Mary Miller. Mr. 
Glazier was mainly self educated, of which fact 
he was justly proud. 




PJiNCENT De PAUL HAMILL. Agricult- 
\ / ure has one of its most energetic representa- 
V tives in our subject, who is living on the 
estate where he was born, three miles southeast 
of Seneca Falls, June 24, 1S67. His parents were 
John and Mary (Gilmore) Haniill, both of whom 
were born in Couuty Louth, Ireland. 

John Hamill made the journey acro.ss the At- 
lantic in 1847, in company with his parents, who 
at once made their way to this county, and for a 
few years resided in Seneca Falls. There the fa- 
ther was married, making it his home for some 
time. Being desirous of engaging in farm work, 
he purchased a small farm in the town of Lodi, 
where he remained five years, after which he as- 
sumed charge of a stone-quarry in the towu of 
Fayette, where he contiiuied for about four years, 
after which he purchased the estate on which 
his son, Vincent de Paul, now makes his home. 
He became a successful farmer, and lived on 
this place until his decease, which occurred on 
the 27th of March, 1890. He took an active 
part in the public life of his community, and 
was the candidate of the Democratic partj^ on 
several occasions for positions of responsibility 
and trust. For five terms he was Highway Com- 
missioner, and it was while the incumbent of this 
position that his death occurred. 

Religiously he was an ardent Catholic, being 
one of the first Catholics to locate in Seneca Falls, 
and was deeply interested in the progress of that 
denomination. 

The parental family included ten children, sev- 
en of whom are living at the present writing. Of 
these our subject is the youngest, and when a 



lad of seventeen years he was confirmed in the 
Catholic Church. The land which he occupies 
was purchased by his father, who, although com- 
mencing in life a poor man, became fairlv well- 
to-do. 

The subject of this sketch attended the Catho- 
lic school at Seneca Falls until prepared to en- 
ter the academy, but before completing the course 
laid down in that institution, however, he was 
obliged to quit school and go to work. He has 
always been very industrious, and that he has 
made a good citizen is attested by the esteem in 
which he is held by his fellow-townsmen. At the 
time of his father's death he was appointed to fill 
out his unexpired term as Highway Commission- 
er. Two years following the expiration of this 
term he was elected on his own merits, and in 
1893 again assumed the duties of the office. He 
possesses sound judgment, broad intelligence and 
progressive ideas, and is a man of whom any 
community might well be proud. 



...^^.. 



"^m^" 



MAMUEL P. LERCH. Among the well 
7\ known and influential citizens of the town 
\~/ of Fayette, Seneca County, is the gentleman 
whose name introduces these paragraphs, and 
who is a successful farmer, using the best meth- 
ods of fertilizing the .soil and improving his 
land. 

Our subject is a native of this county, and was 
born in the town of Varick, April 23, 1835. 
His parents were Samuel and Regina (Beyl) 
Lerch, both natives of Northampton County, 
Pa. They were there reared to mature \ears and 
were married, after which they came to this state 
and took up land in the town of Varick, where 
the father owned one hundred and forty-one 
acres. In addition to tilling his land, he erected 
and was proprietor of a hotel in that locality, and 



i>ORtRAlT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was well known to the traveling public. The 
parental household included eleven children, of 
whom six are now living. Of these, William, 
who is a resident of Detroit, Mich., is the only 
member living out of Seneca County. Samuel P. 
attended the district school until fourteen or fifteen 
years old, when the limited circumstances of the 
parents made it necessary for him to look out for 
himself. He accordingly worked on farms in the 
neighborhood until a little older, when he went 
West. In Glencoe, 111., he worked on the farm 
of Mr. Gurnee, then President of the Chicago & 
Milwaukee Railroad. Later he obtained a posi- 
tion on tliat road as brakeman and baggage- 
master, holding the same for three or four years. 
.Subsequently he became transfer and ticket agent 
at Prairie du Chien, Wis., and McGregor, Iowa, 
for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, 
filling both positions for eleven and one-half 
years. At the expiration of that time he became 
baggageman on the train, it being his duty also 
to hunt up lost baggage. He followed the road 
for twenty-six years, when, tired of the hurry 
and bustle which attend such a life, he resigned 
and .settled down to the peaceful occupation of a 
farmer, it being his desire to pass the remainder 
of his life amid rural scenes. 

The marriage of our subject and Miss Susanna 
Lerch occurred in the town of Fayette, Januarx- 
II, 1882. The lady was born in West Fayette, 
October 27, 1S53, and is the daughter of Benja 
n.iu F. and Jane (Gouger) Lerch. The fornR-r. 
who was born in Fayette, October 18, 1S28, 
was a farmer by occupation, as was also his 
father, Anthony Lerch. The latter was born in 
Northampton County, Pa., in which place he was 
married. Afterward he came to Seneca County 
and reared a family of five children, all of whom 
were born in this county, and of the.se Penjamin 
was third in order of birth. He was married 
February 11, 1851, and b\- his union with Jane 
Gouger nine children were born; Elnora E., 
Susannah, George, Anthony, Perez F., Carrie, 
Nellie Jane, and two who died in infancy. June 
2, 1879, the wife and mother died. In October, 
1883, he was married to Mrs. Arminda Abbott. 
Two years later, September 2, 1885, his death 



occurred. To Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lerch have 
been born three children: Edna Dean, whose birth 
occurred in Milwaukee, Wis.; Ethel Regina and 
lone Jane. Mr. Lerch is a Democrat in politics 
and takes an interest in the success of his party. 
Socially he belongs to Fayette Lodge No. 539, 
F. & A. M., in which order he is an active and 
influential worker. 



IILLIAM ASHMORE, well known as one 
of the upright citizens and retired bu.siness 
men of W'aterloo, was born August 20, 
1820, in the city of Mansfield, Nottingham.shire, 
England. Not only by birth, but also by man\- 
generations of his ancestors, he is a typical Eng- 
lishman, possessing the inherited love of busi- 
ness and interest in public affairs characteristic 
of his nation. However, since adopting the 
United States as his home, he has been loyal to 
the in.stitutions of this Government, and believes 
it to be the best upon which the sun shines. 

The parents of our subject, William, Sr., and 
Sarah A.shmore, were natives of England, where 
the former followed the occupation of a miller 
until his death. The family was a large one, 
consi.sting of eight sons and eight daughters, 
nearly all of whom remained in the Old Country. 
William, who was next to the youngest, passed 
the days of youth in Mansfield, that old city 
where still stands a grammar .school founded by 
Queen Elizabeth, and an ancient church in which 
several successive generations have met for wor- 
ship. His educational advantages were limited, 
tor at an early age he began to care for himself. 
At the age of thirteen he began an apprenticeship 
of seven years to the baker's trade, gaining a 
thorough knowledge of that occupation, which he 
afterward followed as a journeyman in London, 
Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham and other 
cities of England. 



1 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



325 



It was in 1845 that Mr. Ashmore, then a stal- 
wart young man of t\ventj--five, cros.secl the At- 
lantic, taking passage in a sailing-vessel at Liv- 
pool, April 24, and landing in New York Citj- 
after an uneventful voyage of seven weeks. From 
that place he went direct to Utica, Oneida Coun- 
tj-, N. Y., where he was employed for eighteen 
months. Thence he came to Waterloo, reaching 
this village in Juh', 1847. lie at once secured 
work in a bakery owned by Charles Insley, 
remaining with him until his death, and after- 
ward continuing with his successor, John O'Neil, 
for several years. 

Making a change in his occupation, Mr. Ash- 
more entered the hotel business, and for eight 
3-ears sucessfully ran what was known as the 
Ashmore House. I'pou retiring from that busi- 
ness, he turned his attention to his general prop- 
erty interests, to which he has since given his 
time and thought. Being a man of economical 
disposition, prudent and cautious in his invest- 
ments, he has been enabled to accumulate a com- 
petency, not through '"luck," but as a result of 
his determined and ambitious efforts. In his 
political affiliations he adheres to the policy of the 
Republican party and uniformly votes that ticket. 

In 1 89 1 Mr. Ashmore was united in marriage 
with Mrs. Rachel M. Weaver, the widow of 
Montgomery Weaver, and a daughter of J. R. 
and Jeiuiie (Miller) Spence, who came from Penn- 
sylvania to the town of Lodi, Seneca County, be- 
coming early settlers of that localitj-. 



ITNOCH EMENS. In the pleasant little vil- 
r3 lage of Fayette reside a number of influen- 
|_ tial citizens, among whom may be mentioned 
our subject, who is senior member of the firm of 
Emens& Son. He is a native of Seneca County, 
and was born in the town of Varick, three miles 



south of this village, June 26, 1819. His parents 
were Joseph and Martha (Johns) Emens. the 
former a native of Monmouth, N. J., of which lo- 
cality the latter was also a native. 

Grandfather William Emens, likewise born in 
New Jersey, moved to vSeneca County about the 
year 1812, at which time our subject's father was 
a young man, Iiis birth occurring in 1793. He 
had stood seven drafts in the War of 1812, but 
each time drew a blank. The maternal grandfa- 
ther of our subject, John Johns, was also from 
New Jersey, whence he and his wife came to this 
state when their daughter Martha was a child, 
and in this countj- she was reared and married. 
Her parents located on a tract of eighty- four acres 
of productive laud in the town of \'arick, which 
the)- worked industriously to improve and make 
more valuable. 

To Joseph and Martha Emens there were born 
four children, of whom Enoch was the youugest 
but one. He acquired such an education as could 
be obtained in the schools of the neighborhood, 
and at the age of sixteen years began to work at 
the carpenter's trade, receiving for his first year's 
work $50. After becoming an experienced work- 
man he went to Rochester, where he followed 
his trade for a period of ten j-ears, working 
the first year as a journeyman carpenter, after 
which he did contract work. In this way he 
saved the sum of $2,000, and, returning to the 
town of Varick, purchased one hundred acres of 
land and soon became one of the prominent and 
substantial agriculturi.sts of the locality. 

The subject of this sketch was married, Octo- 
ber 18, 1848, to Miss Eliza Van Riper, of the 
town of Varick. They at once located on the 
farm above referred to, and continued to make it 
their home until 1883, when they came to Fay- 
ette. Here our subject engaged in merchandis- 
ing, and the firm is now operating under the style 
of Emens & Son. He became the father of eight 
children, of whom three died in infancy. Those 
living are Martha; Olin E., the partner of his fa- 
ther, and whose sketch may be found elsewhere 
in this volume; Humboldt, superintendent of an 
extensive silver and gold mine in Denver, Colo.; 
Edgar A., Professor of Greek in Syracuse Uni- 



J52(i 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



versity; and Frederick, Postmaster of the village 
of Fayette, and also a clerk in his father's store. 
Edgar A. is a graduate of Wesleyaii University 
at Middletown, Conn., and after completing his 
studies traveled extensively in Europe. 

Mr. Emens is greatly interested in bee culture, 
and has about fifty stands. In politics he is a 
Republican, tried and true, having voted for the 
candidates of that party ever since its organiza- 
tion in 1856. His first ballot, however, was ca.st 
for William Henry Harrison, the Whig candidate 



of 1840. During all these years he has been true 
to his party, but has desired no offices. He is 
a valued member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, with which he has been connected for 
over half a century. In this denomination he has 
been Class-Leader and Steward and an active 
worker in the vSunday-school. 

Mrs. Emens departed this life March 9, 1895, 
at the age of seventy -three years She was born 
March 6, 1822, in Varick and proved her hus- 
band's most efficient helpmate for many years. 





CHARI^ES H. EVERTS. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



329 



^^:i^jei.^ 



CHARLES H. EVERTS. 



'^ 






EHARLES H. EVERTS, attorney and coun- 
selor-at-law, and one of the influential citi- 
zens of Watkins, was born in the town of 
Dix, Schuj'ler County, October 4, 1835, being 
the son of Alanson G. and Anna (Levitt) 
Everts. The famil)- of which he is an honored 
representative has for three generations been 
closely identified with the growth and develop- 
ment of this section of the state. The first of the 
name to come hither was his great-grandfather, 
Daniel Everts. He and Reuben Smith left Salis- 
bury, Conn., for the western country, and ar- 
rived at Hector June i, 1793. They remained 
that season, putting in crops of corn and wheat, 
and after harvest returned to Connecticut. In 
the spring of 1794 Daniel Everts, with his wife 
and eight children, and Reuben Smith, with his 
wife and five children, returned to Hector. The 
great-grandfather's family comprised the follow- 
ing children: Aranthus, Charles, Polly, Daniel, 
John, Asena and Abram. Aranthus Everts, the 
grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was a 
Colonel in the War of 1812, and raised a regi- 
ment, which went on foot through the unbroken 
wilderness from Hector to Buffalo. He had 
command of a fort when a flag of truce was .sent 
to him, and a demand to surrender was rehi.sed. 
The General in command .sent word, "I want you 
to understand that we will take our breakfast in 



this fort to-morrow morning. ' ' Colonel Everts 
replied, "If you undertake it you will get your 
supper in hell." The Everts family originated 
in Wales, but has been as.sociated with American 
history from an early period in the settlement of 
the country. 

Aranthus Everts married Margaret Mathews, 
daughter of Courtright Mathews. Their son, 
Alanson G. Everts, was united in marriage with 
Anna Levitt, and their family consisted of five 
sons and two daughters, of whom Charles H. 
is next to the youngest. He passed the days of 
his boyhood in his native town, gaining the ru- 
diments of his education in the primary .schools, 
and later became a student in Alfred University, 
where he remained for a time. Afterward he 
taught school, in which way he gained the means 
that enabled him to prosecute his legal studies. 
He commenced the study of law with Marcus 
Crawford, of Havana, and gained a thorough 
knowledge of Coke, Blackstone and Kent, and 
was admitted to the Bar in 1857. Later he took 
a two-years course at the Albany Law School, 
from which institution he was graduated Novem- 
ber 26, 1858, with the degree of LL. B. 

Opening an office in Havana, Mr. Everts con- 
tinued the practice of his profession there for 
three years. Thence, in 1861, he went to Farmer, 
Seneca County, where he remained for two years. 



330 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In 1865 he came to Watkins, opened an oflBce and 
commenced a general practice, which he has con- 
tinued to the present, being now one of the old- 
est members of the Schuyler Count}' Bar. In 
politics he is a Democrat, and during the entire 
period of his connection with that party he has 
stood by it, in cloud and sunshine, with unshaken 
fidelity. In 1888, when Grover Cleveland was 
a candidate, he was a Presidential Elector. Dur- 
ing campaigns, his services are especially valua- 
ble, as he takes an active part in both local and 
national elections, and he is now Chairman of the 
Democratic County Committee. 

January 15, 1861, Mr. Everts married Miss 
Eliza A., daughter of Job Banker, of Hector. 
They are the parents of one son and two daugh- 
ters: Josiah B., a young man of ability, now serv- 
ing as Justice of the Peace, and also as a court re- 
porter; Mary E., the wife of Frank Hill, of El- 
mira, X. V.; and Hanna M., the wife of L. H. 
Chase, of Watkins, X. Y. Mr. Everts is domes- 
tic in his tastes, and his friends are always hos- 
pitably welcomed to his pleasant home. He was 
fortunate in .securing in his wife a companion 
fully suited to his qualities of mind and character. 
To a large degree is it due to her ready sympathy 
and mental capacity that he has been enabled to 
make for himself a noble record as a citizen and 
as an attornev. 



— •5+:' 




:><♦• 



BROXSOX A. WESSELL is Treasurer of the 
firm of Rum.sey & Co.. Limited, at Seneca 
Falls, manufacturers of all kinds of pumps, 
fire appliances, hand fire-engines, hose trucks, 
hose carts, hose wagons, hose carriages, etc. The 
works were established in 1844 by John A. Rum- 
sey, and continued under his name for many 
years. A short time previous to his death, how- 
ever, which occurred May 30, 1888, a stock com- 



pany was formed and articles of incorporation 
secured, with John A. Rumsey President, and 
L. Rum.sey Sanford Secretary. The present 
officers are: Andrew G. Mercer, President; A. 
Rumsey, \'ice- President; Bronson A. Wessell, 
Treasurer; and L. Rumsey Sanford. Secretary. 
The works are riui by water-power, and a large 
force of men is constantly employed. The plant 
is in everj- way well equipped for the business and 
its reputation is first-class, both at home and 
abroad. 

Bronson A. Wessell was born in Oneida Count%-, 
X. Y., December 21, 1842, and is the son of 
Richard and Lydia (Norton) Wessell, the former 
a native of New York, and the latter of Connecti- 
cut. The Wessells are of German origin, and the 
Nortons of English descent. Richard Wessell 
was a farmer, and spent the greater part of his 
life engaged in farm work. Some time previous 
to his death, which occurred in 1880, he removed 
to Vernon Center, where he lived a retired life. 
The mother died in 1875. 

The subject of this sketch is the eldest of the 
parental family, which comprised five children, 
and his early life was spent upon the home farm, 
and also at Vernon Center, where he attended the 
common .schools and later \'ernon Academy. He 
was but fifteen years of age, however, when he 
left school and went to Knoxboro, X. Y., where 
for four years he clerked in the store of James C. 
Knox. He then went to Oneonta, N. Y., where 
he engaged in business for himself and there re- 
mained until 1 861. That year he came to Seneca 
Falls and engaged in the clothing business, re- 
maining thus emplo\ed until 1S65, when he en- 
tered the service of the Merchants' Union Express 
Company. In 1869 he entered the employ of 
Rumsey & Co. as clerk, which position he con- 
tinued to hold until 1890. at which time he was 
made Treasurer. 

Mr. Wessell's marriage united him with Miss 
Belle A. Kerr, of Seneca Falls, and daughter of 
Thomas H. Kerr. They have one daughter, 
Mildred F., who is yet at home. In politics Mr. 
Wessell is a Democrat, and has been very active 
in the councils of his party for many years. 
While never an office-seeker, and even though 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



331 



averse to holding public office, he has yet filled 
some minor positions, including Supervisor of the 
town, and member of the Board of Trustees of 
the village. Since February, 1890, he has been 
President and a Director of the New York Mutual 
Savings and Loan Association. Religiously he 
and his wife are members of the Kpi.scopal Church. 



(^ 



L-y 



-C^, 



=^ 



HON. A. L. CHILDS, editor and proprietor 
of the Waterloo Obsencr, was born in Sen- 
eca Falls, N. Y., April 12, 1840. He is 
the son of Amhurst Childs, who was born in 
Massachusetts, and who came to Seneca County 
in 1820, and read medicine with Dr. Welles, one 
of the early physicians of Waterloo. He was a 
graduate of the old Geneva Medical College. He 
soon rose to eminence in his chosen profession, 
and at the voice of his co-workers in the healing 
art became President of the State Medical College, 
and was long the head of the State Medical So- 
ciety. He died in 1869, in his seventy-first year, 
in Waterloo, where he had long conducted a 
most successful practice. His wife was Larissa 
Southwick, a daughter of Maj. David Southwick, 
of Junius, Seneca County. She and the Doctor 
had seven children, three daughters and one son 
surviving. 

Mr. Childs, the subject of this article, as might 
be expected from the learning, the l;road views 
and the substantial prosperity that had charac- 
terized and attended his father, was thoroughly 
trained and educated for a useful and honorable 
career. From the public school he passed to the 
Waterloo Academy, and in 1857 entered Hamil- 
ton College, at Clinton, N. Y., graduating from 
that institution in 1861. Then, bearing in mind 
the saying about traveling making a "ready 
man," he .spent a year or more in traveling 
through the Western States and territories. His 
continuous school course was interrupted by a 



course of law study under the guidance of Judge 
Sterling Iladley, and his admission to the Bar in 
1865. 

In 187S Mr. Childs founded the Stinra Coun- 
ty Neii'S, and for .seven years remained at its 
head, making it one of the influential papers of 
the region. It then passed from his hands into 
the possession of Varr & Meddcn, the present 
proprietors. For several years he devoted much 
time to the practice of law in Rochester. In 1894 
he .secured the control of the Waterloo Obsetver, 
an eight-column j^aper, fiiieh- printed and ably 
edited. 

Mr. Childs has received honors from his com- 
munity and from the state. He was Clerk of the 
Senate Judiciary Conunittee under Charles J. 
Folger, President Arthur's Secretary of the 
Treasury, and his party honored itself and him by 
electing him as a Member of the Assembly to 
represent Seneca County. In 1885 Isabel Em- 
mett, of Waterloo, became his wife. The\- have 
two daughters, Alice and Maria Isabel. It need 
hardly be said that their home is delightful. 

Mr. Childs is a man of influence, not only in 
his immediate neighborhood, but throughout the 
state, and is much in demand for stump .speaking 
in every campaign. He takes much interest in 
political affairs, and gives him.self freely to the 
call of his party. 



J^\ 






^ 



EHARLES BIZLEY DAY. Among the well- 
to-do and enterprising tillers of the soil 
in Seneca Couiit>-, mention must surel}- be 
made of Mr. Day, whose home is on the Waterloo 
and Geneva Turnpike, one mile west of the vil- 
lage of Waterloo. There he carries on farming 
and market-gardening after the most approved 
methods, and is meeting with success in his 
ventures. 



332 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Mr. Day is a native of England, and was born 
October 20, 1857, i" Axbridge, Somer.setshire. 
His parents were Charles and Mary (Bizley) 
Day, natives of the above place, where they were 
farmers. In April, 1871, however, they left their 
native land, and, crossing the Atlantic, found 
themselves on American soil a few weeks later. 
They made a location at Port Byron, Cayuga 
County, and there .engaged in farming. 

Charles B., of this sketch, attended school in 
England, but after coming to America was j 
obliged to work out and aid in the support of ] 
the family, hence was not permitted to carry on 
his studies but one term. The family included 
five children, of whom Charles was the eldest but 
one. He remained under the parental roof until 
1885, when he started out in life for himself 
Five years previous to this time his father had lo- 
cated upon the estate which he now occupies, 
making that place his home until 18S9. That 
year, however, on account of failing health, he 
rented the farm to our subject, and moved to a 
more healthful locality. He died in December, 
1 89 1. Charles B. then purchased the interest of 
his brothers and sisters in the place, and is now 
its sole owner. It comprises forty-eight acres, 
under a high state of cultivation, and is devoted 
mainly to market-gardening. Mr. Day finds no 
trouble in disposing of his products at a good 
price, as he raises only the best vegetables and 
fruits. He has customers in Waterloo, Seneca 
Falls, Auburn, and also .ships large quantities to 
other points. He has been very successful in the 
industry, and has no reason to regret having en- 
gaged in it. 

Mr. Day and Miss Anna B. Rodgers were 
united in marriage February 5, 1889, and to them 
has been born a son, Howard C, whose birth 
occurred May i, 1894. Mrs. Day, who was born 
in Black Hawk County, Iowa, is a well educated 
lady, and became acquainted with Mr. Day in 
her native state, which he had visited several 
times. 

Although reared in the faith of the Episcopal 
Church, our subject now attends services at the 
Presbyterian Church, as does also his wife. In 
politics he is a true-blue Republican, and takes 



great interest in the .success of his part}-. His 
mother is still living, making her home in Wa- 
terloo with her daughters, Gelinda Bizley and 
Ada M. One son, Henry G., is living on a. 
farm of sixty-two and one-half acres, which is lo- 
cated in the town of Fayette, this county. Stella 
M., the eldest of the family, married Samuel 
Beard, and they make their home on a tract of 
land which lies near that of our .subject. Mr. 
Da\' is a whole-souled, thoroughly honest and 
reliable man, and possesses the confidence and 
esteem of the entire connnunitv. 




(TOHN J. BAILEY is a very popular resident 
I of the town of Tyrone, Schuyler County, 
Q) and has made farming and stock-raising the 
principal occupation of his life. He has taken 
advantage of every method and idea that would 
enhance the value of his property-, and this course 
has had a great deal to do with the competence 
which he now enjoys. 

Mr. Bailey has made this .section his home 
throughout life, and was here born December 6, 
1847. The parental family included three chil- 
dren, of whom he was the second-born. He, 
like other lads of the neighborhood, carried on 
his studies in the schools taught in the district, 
and by applying himself to his books became 
well informed. He lived with his mother until 
his marriage, which occurred November 18, 1869, 
the lady on this occasion being Miss Emma R. 
Sanford, whose birth occurred in Wayne, Steuben 
County, N. Y., Maj' 10, 1850, and who was the 
daughter of the late Russell and Laura K. (Chap- 
man) Sanford. 

Russell Sanford was the .son of Ephraim San- 
ford, and was born in Wayne, Steuben County, 
this state, November 15, 1822. His wife was the 
daughter of Peter and Sally Chapman, and her 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



333 



birth occurred in Allegany County, N. Y., April 
I, 1826. To them were born two daughters, 
Mary E. and Ennna R. The latter was Mrs. 
Bailey. The mother died March 21, 1892, and 
was followed to the land beyond by her husband, 
who died July 17, 1893. They were highly re- 
spected residents of their comnuinit\-, and their 
loss to the residents of Wayne was deeply felt. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Bailey located upon 
the tract of land where he now makes his home. 
It is one hundred and fifty-five acres in extent, 
and the attention and care which the owner be- 
stows upon it have made of it one of the most 
productive in the town. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Bailey there have been born 
three children, of whom we make the following 
mention: Mary E., who was born August 28, 1870, 
is a well educated young lady, and in 1889 was 
married to John Carman, a resident of Bradford, 
N. Y. Ella M., born December 28, 1873, also 
attended the schools of this locality, and in 1893, 
after completing her education, was married to 
Clifford Boyce; their home is in Wayne. Lena S. 
was born September 24, 1877, and is at home 
with her parents. 

Mr. Baile\- adheres to the principles of Democ- 
racy, which appeal to him the most strongly. He 
seeks to instill into his neighbors the idea that im- 
provement in any direction is for the public good, 
and while the incumbent of the office of Excise 
Commissioner for several years rendered efficient 
and satisfactorv service. 






(Tames RUSSELL WEBSTER. For more 
I than a half-century the subject of this article 
C2/ has been numbered among the citizens of 
Waterloo, to which place (then an insignificant 
hamlet) he came in the year 1842, and of 
which he has since been a highly honored resi- 



dent. For twenty-five years he was engaged in 
the coal business, and at intervals he made ex- 
tensive purcha.ses of western grain and stock, 
aggregating within a few years five hundred 
thousand bushels of wheat, and four hundred 
thousand barrels of salt. In lumber, wool, sheep 
and tallow, he has al.so been a large dealer. 

The family to which our subject belongs is one 
of the largest in the United States, and has had 
among its members many men of prominence, in- 
cluding Daniel and Noah Webster. The fir.st of 
the name to settle in Ontario Count}-, N. Y., 
was James Webster, who in 181 2 removed from 
Litchfield, Conn., and .settled near Oaks Corners. 
He was of direct Scotch descent, and was the last 
of six generations that resided in Coimecticut. 
After coming to New York, he served as a Dea- 
con in the Baptist Church of Phelps for many 
years. 

The father of our subject, James, was a son of 
the original founder of the family in Ontario 
County, and was a farmer bj' occupation, which 
calling he followed in Phelps for many years. He 
was a man of firm religious convictions, and a 
devoted member of the Baptist Church. His 
wife, Sabrina Catlin, was born in Litchfield, 
Conn., and died in Phelps in 1820; her father, 
Isaac Catlin, was of English parentage. Our 
subject's father attained an advanced age, passing 
awaj- in 1S68, at the age of ninety. His imme- 
diate family comprised four sons and two daugh- 
ters, the eldest of whom is the subject of this 
sketch. Catlin, another son, was a life-long resi- 
dent of Phelps, where he .served as an Elder in the 
Presbyterian Church for a long time. The other 
children are Chauncey L., a retired farmer living 
near Phelps; Walter B., a resident of Nebraska; 
Julia Ann, wife of Oscar Hartwell, ofNebra.ska; 
and Anna, who married J. Young, of Phelps. 

Our subject was born in Phelps, Ontario Coun- 
ty, N. Y., January 20, 18 12. The early years of 
his life were passed on his father's farm, and the 
rudiments of his education were obtained in the 
common schools of Phelps. Afterward he was a 
student in an academy, and later attended one of 
the best military schools of that day. In youth 
he was engaged considerably in military service. 



334 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and was one of the participants in the reception 
to General La Fayette in his memorable trip 
through this section. At one time he was Adju- 
tant of the rifle regiment of Ontario and Yates 
Counties, which was. composed of one thousand 
men, and which at the last general training at 
Canandaigua was pronounced one of the best 
regiments in the state. 

In 1827 Mr. Webster married Miss Elizabeth 
N. MuUander, who died in Waterloo, December 
20, 1889, sixt3--two yeans after their marriage. 
She was a devoted member of the Presbyterian 
Church. Six children blessed their union, name- 
ly: James, deceased: John N. C: Charles D., 
deceased: Ann, who is her father's housekeeper, 
and affectionately cares for him in his declining 
years; Sabrina, deceased; and Mary G., wife of 
J. Y. Moore, of Johnstown, N. Y. 

Soon after his marriage, Mr. Wcixster removed 
to the town of Perry, Wyoming County, where 
he engaged in farming, and also had other im- 
portant interests, including a fur trade with the 
Indians in Canada, and extensive real-estate and 
building transactions. At one time he owned a 
section of land one mile square, where the city of 
Kalamazoo, Mich., now stands. In 1842 became 
to Waterloo, where he still re.sides. Through 
the exercise of good judgment as well as unerring 
wisdom and stanch integrity, he accumulated a 
valuable property, and is now numbered among 
the wealthy men of the village. 

While Mr. Webster has gained a competency, 
yet his life has been a very un.selfish one. and 
while enriching himself he has also blessed and 
helped many others. Among the j-oung men 
whom he assisted to start in life, was Ezra Cor- 
nell, of Ithaca, to whom his timely assistance 
was most fortunate. While living in Perry, he 
manufactured on his own farm, to which he 
moved for that purpose, the brick used in the 
construction of the beautiful Presbyterian Church 
of that place. He also superintended and built 
this church from his own means, and donated the 
same to the congregation at Perry. In 1851 he 
assisted in erecting the Waterloo Presbyterian 
Church, and was a member of the Building Com- 
mittee, giving Si, 000 or more to the structure. 



Mr. Webster was present at the unveiling ot 
the statue of his kinsman, Daniel Webster, at 
Concord, N. H., in 1892, and was a distinguished 
guest of the committee. Politically he is a Re- 
publican. In 1836 and 1840 he voted for Will- 
iam Henry Harrison, and in later times he cast 
his ballot for Benjamin Harrison, A man of 
patriotic impulses, and realizing the value of the 
services rendered the Union by the soldiers in the 
Civil War, he has used his influence in behalf of 
pensioners, and has been to Washington ten times 
in their behalf. Mr. Webster was a strong Aboli- 
tionist, and has labored for the colored race for 
over sixty years. In 1887-88 he was Vice-Presi- 
dent of the Republican State Convention. The 
vigor of mind and body which he still enjoys is 
largely due to his habits of temperance, sobriety 
and right living. His form is as erect, his eyes 
as bright, his mind as clear and his step as elas- 
tic as though he were but sixtv vears of age. 



♦^S+i®^^®^*^! » — ' 



0ELOS L. HEATH, M. D., is a well known 
physician and surgeon of Seneca Falls. He 
was born in Ithaca. Tompkins County, 
N. Y., April II, 182S, and is a .son of Hiram H. 
and Clarissa H. (Barnaby) Heath. His father 
was born in Harpersfield, Delaware County, N. Y. , 
January- 9, 1802, and died February 9, 1895, 
in Louisa County, \'a., where he had removed 
some years before and bought a farm of three 
hundred acres. His widow, who is still living in 
that county, is in her eighty-ninth year. David 
Heath, the grandfather of our subject, was a na- 
tive of New York, but was of English descent. 

The subject of this sketch was one of eight 
children born to his parents, fi\-e of whom are 
still living. His boyhood and youth were spent 
in Ithaca and Auburn, N. Y., where he attended 
the public schools and later those of Seneca Falls, 
to which place his parents had removed. After 



1 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



335 



leaving school be went to work on a farm, but as 
be bad made up bis mind to enter tbe medical 
profession be soon afterward went to Ann Arbor, 
Midi., and entered the medical department of tbe 
university of that place, from which he graduated 
in March, 1S53. Returning to .Seneca Falls after 
his graduation, Dr. Heath entered into practice, 
remaining here but a short time, however, and 
then locating at Ridgeway, Lenawee County, 
Mich., where he was successfully engaged in 
practice at the beginning of the war. In Novem- 
ber, 1862, he was appointed Assistant Surgeon of 
the Seventeenth Michigan Infantry, and, joining 
his regiment, went with it to tbe front just before 
tbe battle of Fredericksburg. After the battle be 
took charge of the hospital at Aquia Creek, in 
Virginia, and later was ordered to Newport News, 
where, in March, 186,^, he was taken sick with 
t3phoid fever. He was sent to tbe hospital at 
Baltimore, Md., and on his recovery went to 
Glasgow, Ky., having been commissioned Sur- 
geon of the Twenty-third Michigan Infantry. 
He was in Burnside's expedition to East Tennes- 
see, and was in Knoxville at the time it was be- 
sieged by Longstreet. While there be was ap- 
pointed Chief Operating Surgeon of his division, 
which position he held as long as he remained in 
the army. Later his command joined Sherman 
at Red Clay, Ga., and he participated in all tbe 
battles in which his command was engaged in 
the campaign to Atlanta. Tbe Doctor was within 
a few feet of General McPherson when he was 
killed. 

Again succumbing to sickness, tbe Doctor was 
given a leave of absence, and after remaining at 
home twenty days returned to his regiment. He 
was ordered to appear before an examining board 
at Cincinnati, where he was declared unfit for 
duty, and was sent to the officers' hospital, re- 
maining there about three months. At the close 
of the war he returned to Ridgeway, Mich., and 
later removed to Grand Rapids, where for six 
months be was in partnership with Dr. J. I). 
Bevier. The three following years were .spent in 
Tecumseh, that state, and from there he went to 
Brooklyn, N. Y., and engaged in business and 
in the practice of his profession for about seven 



years. From Brooklyn he went to Hackensack, 
N. J., and in tbe fall of 1887 returned to Seneca 
Falls, where he has .since continued to reside 
and practice bis profession. 

In 1854 Dr. Heath married Miss Mary J. Peck, 
of Ridgeway, Mich., and a daughter of James 
Peck. They have one son, Harry, who is en- 
gaged in business in New York, City, but who 
lives in Brooklyn. Mrs. Heath is a member of 
the Episcopal Church. Fraternally the Doctor 
is a Mason, and in politics is a Republican. 



-*->^^|e^^-: 



•*-> 



->^^^^-*- 



EHARLES CRANE. As a tribute to the 
worth and character of the late Mr. Crane, 
formerly one of tbe successful farmers of 
Seneca County, we incorporate in the Record 
the following facts with reference to his life. He 
was born in Putnam County, this state, March 
26, 1793, a .son of Belden Crane, whose familj- 
consisted of six children, three sons and three 
daughters. All grew to manhood an.d woman- 
hood, but of these George is the only survivor. 
He is now living retired in California. 

As might be expected, our subject did not have 
the best opportunities for gaining an education, 
but, being ambitious to learn, he attended school 
whenever the farm work permitted, and by close 
application to his books became well informed. 
He aided his father in carrying on the home place 
until bis marriage to Mi.ss Susan Baets, who sur- 
vived her union man}- years. 

January 12, 1869, Mr. Crane chose for his sec- 
ond companion Miss Annis, daughter of Eben 
and Martha (Austin) Hawks. Mrs. Crane was 
born about 1823, and was fairly well educated. 

One )'ear after attaining bis majority our sub- 
ject came to this county, and with the means 
which be had saved purchased a small farm in 



336 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD. 



the town of Covert. He made that his home for 
a few years, when, receiving a good ofifer, he sold 
out and located upon the place where his widow 
now makes her home. This was in 1859. He 
was a pushing, energetic man, thrifty, and pos- 
sessing good business qualifications, so that he 
accumulated a goodly property, and at his de- 
cease, in May, 1877, left his family in good cir- 
cumstances. His remains were interred in the 
cemetery at Trumansburg, which is the family 
burying-ground. Mr. Crane was a member in 
excellent standing of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and was one of the first of hi.s congrega- 
tion to engage in benevolent work. 

A Democrat in politics, our subject was always 



interested in public affairs, and never let an op- 
portunity to vote for President go by after he was 
permitted to vote. During the War of 18 12 he 
served as a private in the ranks, under the com- 
mand of Capt. Henry Haight, in a compan)- of 
New York militia. He was a blacksmith by 
trade, and after coming here, in 18 16, opened a 
shop, which he carried on in connection with 
farm work for a period of fifty years, and was 
therefore one of the pioneers in this business in 
Seneca County. The qualifications of mind and 
character which he exhibited throughout life 
could not fail to win the re.spect of those among 
whom he was known, and made his acquaintances 
life-time friends. 






THOMAS H. ARNOLD. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



339 







"HOMAS HAZARD ARNOLD. There is 
an inspiration given to one in reading the 
history of a successful man, and such is the 
subject of this article. Mr. Arnold is one who, 
gifted with a sturdy constitution and an indomi- 
table and persistent will, has had abundant suc- 
cess, notwithstanding the fact that he had many 
difficulties to overcome. 

Mr. Arnold was born in 1809, the fourth in a 
family of six children of Solomon and Alice Ar- 
nold, who lived on a farm near Providence, R. I. 
In those early da\s, and on that rocky soil, farm- 
ing was not an especially remunerative business, 
and the children early learned to do for them- 
selves. Thomas H. began to work out at the 
age of twelve, receiving one shilling per day. 
At the age of fifteen, lia\-ing a little surplus of 
his earnings, being of a self-reliant disposition 
and desirous of seeing something of the world, 
one fine May morning in the year 1824 he 
started for a walk of fifty miles to meet a friend 
in Connecticut. He arrived in the evening, 
somewhat footsoie, but started with his friend 
the next morning to "go West." They drove 



to Erie County, N. Y., crossing the Hudson 
River at Albany on a ferry. Returning in a few 
months, he was employed in farm work until he 
was about twenty years of age, when he obtained 
a position in the calico works, bleaching, etc., 
retaining this position eight years. 

When about twenty-four years of age Mr. Ar- 
nold was married to Miss Catharine Douglass, 
and to them were born four children, two of 
whom are now living. David B., who is well 
educated, is a member of a firm dealing exten- 
sively in builders' materials in New York City. 
William H. is a well-to-do farmer in the town of 
Tyre, and his life's sketch follows this. 

Not entirely satisfied with his position, in 
the spring of 1S38 Mr. Arnold again turned his 
face Westward, this time going by steamer to 
New York City. From there he went up the 
Hudson to Albany, b>- rail to Schenectady fwhich 
was as far as the New York Central extended in 
those days), then by packet-boat to Buffalo. 
From there he crossed Lake Erie and went across 
the state of Ohio to the river, thence by steamer 
to St. Louis, then cm the Mississippi to Alton, 



340 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



III. Concluding not to make an investment, 
however, he returned via the Ohio River to 
Pittsburg, then to Harrisburg and Philadelphia, 
and by steamer home. When one considers the 
state of the country more than fifty years ago, 
and what facilities for traveling there were in 
those days, it is easy to realize the eflfort and nerve 
it required to take such a journey. 

In September of the same year, 1838, Mr. 
Arnold came to Seneca County and purchased 
seventy-five acres of land in the town of Tyre, 
where he made his home for twenty-five years. 
Then, disposing of that tract, he purchased the 
place where he now resides, a farm of about one 
hundred and fourteen acres. Soon after moving 
upon this estate, in the spring of 1866, his faithful 
wife, the mother of his children, who had so 
nobly borne her part in the privation and toil in- 
cident to a pioneer's life, pa.ssed away. Bearing 
up under this sad bereavement as best he could, 
at the same time meeting with considerable 
pecuniary loss through the fault of others, he 
after a time again established a comfortable home, 
and in 1872 was married to Miss Helen Lavinia 
Dunham, of the town of Tyre. 

Mr. Arnold is now the only survivor of his 
family. His two brothers, successful business 
men of New York City, have passed awa}-, as 
have also his sisters, who remained in Rhode 
Island. Besides the travels already mentioned, 
Mr. Arnold has been to Washington twice, to 
the Centennial at Philadelphia, and a number of 
times to New York City and his old home in 
Rhode Island. In the early days a liberal ed- 
ucation was not so easily obtained as now, but 
Mr. Arnold supplemented his deficiency in that 
respect by quite extensive reading, having a very 
retentive memory and quick natural intelligence, 
besides being a close ob.server. He is well known 
in this section, and all who have business deal- 
ings with him find him honorable and upright in 
all his methods. 

Mr. Arnold voted the Whig ticket in 1832, but 
later he joined the ranks of the Republican party, 
and in 1856 supported Fremont. He has never 
desired to hold office, and much against his wish 
he was elected Overseer of the Poor. ,Sociallv he 



is a member of the Magee Grange. He has 
every reason to be proud of the manner in which 
he has worked his way up from the foot of the 
ladder, but is not in the least boastful of the way 
he has conquered Dame Fortune. Such a career 
is well worthv of emulation. 









IlLIJAM H. ARNOLD. The agricultural 
community of the town of Tyre has a most 
energetic representative in the person of 
Mr. Arnold, who has been in its midst for 
many years, or during his life of fifty-five years. 
He is a farmer, pos.sessing the ideas of thrift 
and industry which have resulted in making him 
well-to-do. Mr. Arnold was born in the above 
town August 22, 1S40, his parents being Thomas 
H. and Catharine (Douglass) Arnold. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on the 
home farm, and during his boyhood attended the 
schools taught in the neighborhood. He has 
made agriculture his life vocation, and thrift 
and energy" have made his place to bloom and 
blossom. January 9, 1867, Mr. Arnold was mar- 
ried to Miss Ella Babbitt, a native of the town ot 
Tyre, and a lady po.s.se.ssing a good education. 
To them were granted four children: Edith, the 
eldest of the family, was born July 8, 1870, and 
died October 20, 1881; Catherine E., born Feb- 
ruary 21, 1872, marritd Paul Pene, and lives in 
New York City; William H. was born July 4, 
18S3, and is still with his parents; Ani\ Douglas 
was born September 20, i8S6, and is attending 
the schools of the neighborhood. 

In politics Mr. Arnold is independent, although 
he voted for Lincoln in 1864. He is much re- 
spected and esteemed for his sterling integrity 
and .sound judgment, and in 1893 his fellow-citi- 
/.ens elected him Assessor of the town. As before 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



341 



stated, he is well known to the residents of Tj're, 
and is making considerable money in farming 
and stock-raising, which he has fonnd to be verj' 
profitable. 




KOBERT CALDWELL. The town of Or- 
ange has upon its list of citizens many able 
and representative farmers, among whom 
we make mention of Mr. Caldwell. He is enter- 
prising, and as a result has been successful in 
life and is now the proprietor of ninety-.seven 
acres of land, forty of which were included in his 
father's farm. 

Mr. Caldwell was born in Couut>- Txrone, Ire- 
land, October 20, 1837, ^'"^ when ten \ears of 
age crossed the deep waters of the Atlantic. His 
parents, William and Nancy (McFettridge) Cald- 
well, had come to America two }'ears previous 
to this time, and, deciding to make their home in 
this state, settled at Sugar Hill, Schuyler County, 
a short distance from Robert's farm. The father 
was in very limited circumstances, and it was for 
this reason that Robert, together with three 
others of the famil}', was compelled to wait in his 
native land until a home was made ready for 
them in the New World. William Caldwell was 
successful in securing about one hundred acres of 
land, at the cultivation of which he worked in- 
dustriously, and before his death had the .satis- 
faction of knowing his farm was one of the best 
cultivated in the town of Orange. He lived here 
until May, 1883, and at the time of his decease 
was in his seventy-seventh year. His widow 
survived him about six years, and was eightv- 
four years old when she departed this life. 

The parental household included twelve chil- 
dren, of whom five are living at the present writ- 
ing. Robert, who was the third in order of birth, 
lived at home until a lad of fifteen years, when it 
was found necessary for him to make his own 



way in the world. He accordingly began work- 
ing out for others, and in this manner accunui- 
lated the means with which to purchase property 
of his own. Soon afterward, or in April, 1873, 
he was united in marriage with Miss Eliza La- 
Fever, of Townsend. Mr. Caldwell then took 
possession of his present farm, of which forty 
acres, as above stated, were formerly comprised 
in the old homestead. On this place he erected 
a comfortable dwelling and commodious barn, and 
has placed around him most of the conveniences 
which make farm work a pleasure. He is quite 
extensi\-ely interested in the manufacture of a 
fine grade of cheese, having a factory located 
near his residence, and also devotes a good deal 
of attention to the raising of Cotswold sheep. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell there were born two sons: 
Grant, who died when two years old; and Robert 
Lee, who is eight years of age. In religious mat- 
ters the parents are members in excellent stand- 
ing of the Presbyterian Church at Sugar Hill, ot 
which Mr Caldwell is Trustee. In politics he is a 
Republican, tried and true, and although never an 
aspirant for office, is always intere.sted in the suc- 
cess of his party and takes great pride in pushing 
forward all measures set on foot for the better- 
ment of his communitN-. 



■-«— f- 



GILEXANDER RORRISON has been very 
LA succe.ssful in all his ventures in life, and is 
f I now living retired. He has made farming 
his vocation, and now makes his home on a lot 
conveniently located one mile east of Seneca Falls. 
Mr. Rorrison was born in what is now South 
Waterloo, in the town of Fayette, May 3, 1823, 
to James and Mary W. (Cairns) Rorrison. 

The parents of our subject were both born in 
Center County, Pa., and the father was ten years 
of age at the time his parents came to this .state, 



342 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the journey hither being undertaken in the year 
1798. Grandfather Alexander Rorrison was tne 
first to make his home in this section, choosing 
for his farm a tract of land one mile west of where 
the County Farm is now located. He was born 
April 22, 1763, in Scotland, whence he was 
brought to this country when a small boy by his 
parents, James and Peggy (Charters) Rorrison. 
Their home in their native land was located near 
Castle Douglas, the residence of the Black Doug- 
las, of Scottish fame. The great-grandparents 
were married December 23, 1756, and to them 
were born four children who grew to mature 
years, viz.: Jane, William, Mary and Alexander, 
the latter of whom was the grandfather of our 
subject. James Rorrison came to America, it is 
presumed, soon after the Revolutionary' War. 
He landed at Philadelphia, Pa., and soon after- 
ward located in Center County, that state. 

Marj' Cairns, the mother of our subject, was 
one in a large family born to her parents, and as 
her father died when she was quite young, she 
was taken into the home of a cousin, and passed 
her girlhood days in the neighborhood of Bald 
Eagle Mountains. Her widowed mother had pur- 
chased a farm in the town of Fayette, this county, 
which adjoined the estate of our subject's grand- 
father. James Rorrison, Jr., however, did not 
meet her until going back to Center County one 
winter to attend school. His education had been 
very much neglected while a boy, and about this 
time a good opportunity presenting itself to at- 
tend school, he took advantage of it. The fol- 
lowing spring when he returned to his parents' 
home he was accompanied by Miss Mary Cairns, 
who rode on horseback from Center County, Pa., 
to her mother's farm in the town of Fayette, hav- 
ing as a guide the gentleman who afterward be- 
came her husband. She was born November 25, 
1793- 

In the grandparents' family were twelve chil- 
dren, of whom James was the eldest. The others 
were named respectively Jane, Margaret, Mary, 
Elizabeth, John, Alexander, Nancy, David, Peter, 
Nancy and Alexander. The parents of our sub- 
ject had born to them seven children, only two 
of whom lived to become heads of families: Alex- 



ander, of this history, and Robert Bruce. The 
latter has been three times married, and is at pres- 
ent living at Gaines Station, Mich. 

When the Rorrison family came to this section, 
the town of Fayette was in its primitive wildness. 
As James was the eldest .son, he had to bear the 
brunt of the work in helping to clear the place 
and support the family. Game abounded plen- 
tifully in those early days, and he became an ex- 
pert shot. He later became a member of the 
Fayette Riflemen, and in 1812 his company, com- 
manded by Captain Ireland, volunteered to go to 
Canada. A number of the company v^-ere cap- 
tured on the Niagara frontier, but as James Ror- 
rison was acting in the capacity' of steward, his 
duties kept him on the American side, where he 
was comparatively safe. During the campaign 
of 18 14 his company went to Ft. Erie, which 
they helped to defend. For his .services during 
this time Mr. Rorrison was given a grant of land 
in Arkansas. 

The father of our subject was a man of great 
natural ability, and for several years served as 
Constable and Deputy Sheriff. In the year 1827 
he was elected Sheriff of the county, and the year 
following his acceptance of the office he was 
obliged to hang a man by the name of Chapman, 
who had been convicted of murder. He filled 
the offices of Supervisor and Justice of the Peace 
to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, and on 
one occasion was the candidate of the Whig 
party for the General Assembly. His county 
was always largely Democratic, notwithstanding 
which fact he was elected by a majority of twen- 
ty-six votes when running for Sheriff. His op- 
ponent at that time was John D. Coe, a promi- 
nent citizen. 

James Rorrison, Jr. , remained with his father 
until twenty -eight years of age, when he was 
married, and afterward operated a sawmill in 
South Waterloo. Before his marriage his father 
had had considerable trouble in establishing a 
clear title to his land, and at last decided that the 
best way to do was to pay for it the .second time. 
James thought it his duty to aid him in this re- 
solve, and whenever he was able made payments 
on the place, until it was at last free from all in- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



343 



cumbraiice. He was very successful in his un- 
dertakings, and evfentually purchased the old 
Cairns Farm from the heirs of the estate. Here 
he made his home until his decease, March 3, 
1872. He had been twice married, his first 
union being with our subject's mother, who died 
October 8, 1858. He was afterward married to 
Mrs. Rachel (Beal) Hopkins, who departed this 
life November 24, 1862. 

The subject of this sketch was reared to a life 
ofindustrJ^ He employed every leisure moment 
in study, and when fifteen years of age went to 
Seneca Falls and was enrolled as a pupil in the 
schools of that village. He afterward carried on 
his studies for a time at Waterloo, and after at- 
taining his twenty -second year, taught two terms 
of winter school. For all the work which he per- 
formed on the farm after becoming of age he was 
given wages b\- his father, and in this manner 
obtained the wherewithal to travel about consid- 
erably through this state and Pennsylvania. In 
this way he met for the first time relatives who 
were residents of the Kej'stone State. 

Mr. Rorrison was married, Februar\- 24, 1848, 
to Miss Mary J. Fancher, of the town of Junius, 
by whom he became the father of nine children, 
all of whom are living with one exception. Ar- 
thur is now living in Denver, Colo. He has been 
all through the Northwestern States and Terri- 
tories, and owns a large ranch in the state of 
Washington. Clarissa M., a professional nurse, 
is a graduate of Hahnemann Medical College of 
Rochester, N. Y. Edward married Miss Maggie 
Yost, and has a position in the postoffice depart- 
ment at Washington, I). C. Mary W. is the wife 
of William T. Beach, a farmer of the town of 
Seneca Falls. Sarah B. married L,. Foster Crowell, 
also a farmer of that locality. Herbert Alexander 
is living in Denver, Colo. Helen L. , who re- 
ceived .some training as a nurse, is the twin of 
Fred G. and is at home. Jane F'. is deceased. 

At liis father's death our subject inherited one- 
half of the estate, and shortly after purchased his 
brothers' interest in the farm, paying therefor 
$140 per acre. He made his home there until 
1888, when he disposed of it by sale, and took 
possession of his present home. He has been at 



all times interested in educational matters, and 
has given eacli of his children every advantage 
for becoming well informed. His finst Presi- 
dential vote was cast in 1S44, for Henry Clay, 
and in 1856 he voted for John C. Fremont. He 
was State Census-taker in 1855, and although not 
Ijeing an office-seeker himself has used his in- 
fluence in support of other good men whom he 
wished to fill some responsible and trustworthy 
office. He has been a member of the Presby- 
terian Church since 1849, serving his congrega- 
tion seven years as Deacon, and ten years as 
Elder. 



"~DSON BAILEY. The gentleman who.se 
^ name gives title to the following brief sketch 
^ is well known to the people of Wayne, 
vScliuyler County, of which place he is Postmas- 
ter. He is a man of prominence in the commu- 
nity, not only from the honorable manner in 
which he transacts his duties as an official, but 
also from his personal excellence of mind and 
heart. 

Mr. Bailey is a native of this county, and was 
born April 19, 1842, in Tyrone. His father was 
the late Wright Bailey, and his mother prior to 
her marriage was known as Miss Mary Bodine, 
and now makes her home in Wayne. Her union 
with Wright Bailey resulted in the birth of three 
children, namely: Edson, John J. and Charles D. 
Edson was reared on his father's farm in the 
town of Tyrone, in which locality he received a 
good education. It was his ambition to rise in 
the world and to occupy a higher position in 
life. However, he remained at home with his 
parents until his marriage, December 31, 1864, 
when he took for his wife Miss Elizabeth J. Jew- 
ell, who was born in Wayne, Steuben County, 
and who was the daughter of Nelson Jewell, also 
of Wayne. After his nwrriage Mr. Bailey en- 
gaged in cultivating the .soil until April, 1893, 



344 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and that year we find him engaged in the mer- 
cantile business in Wayne, in coni]iany with his 
daughter, Mrs. Maggie Lewis. The latter, who 
was the elder of his two children, married George 
M. Lewis, who is now deceased. The other 
member of his family is Edson, Jr. 

Mr. Bailey was appointed Postmaster of Wayne 
in February, 1894. He is a thoroughly reliable 
official and is pleasant and courteous to deal with. 
For four years he was Highway Commissioner, 
and for a period of six years was the incumbent 
of the office of Town Assessor. Politically he is 
an ardent Democrat, and his influence, by exam- 
ple and otherwise, is used to advance-the interests 
of the community in which he resides. 

In the town of Tyrone there is a fine estate 
containing one hundred and eighty-eight acres, 
which Mr. Bailey owns, and this he rents to 
good advantage, his interests in the village occu- 
pying his entire attention. Mrs. Maggie Lewis 
has two sons, Harry and Leon. Her husband 
was one of the prominent merchants of Wayne, 
and died September 30, 1892, since which time 
she has carried on business in coiniection with 
her father. 






pGJiLLIAM T. BEACH. This enterprising 
\ A / f'"''"'^'' 's the proprietor of the old Beach 
V V homestead, located on East Bayard Street, a 
mile and a-half east of the village of Seneca Falls. 
He was born in the same house which he occu- 
pies, January 13, 1858, and is a son of Stephen 
Thomp.son and Harriet (Shay) Beach. 

The father of our subject was a native of Wa- 
terloo, and was born in that village March 31, 
1822. Mrs. Beach, however, was born May 22, 
1828, in Cayuga County. When quite young 
Stephen T. Beach came to the town of Seneca 
Falls with his father, Elam Beach, who took up 



his abode on a farm some little distance west of 
where our subject now lives. This property was 
also the home of his brother David, who had 
come to this state from Connecticut, which was 
also the native state of Elam. 

Stephen T. Beach grew to mature years on the 
above farm, in the mean time gaining such an 
education as could be gleaned in the country 
schools. He was married the year after reaching 
his majority, March 14, 1S50, to Miss Shay, and 
together they located on the farm where their son 
now lives. This property, which had been pre- 
viously purchased by Mr. Beach, consists of 
eighty-five acres, nicely improved with buildings, 
and from the efficient manner in which it was 
cultivated netted him good returns. 

During the late war the father of our subject 
enlisted in Company M, Fifteenth New York 
Engineers, and served from vSeptember, 1864, un- 
til the close of hostilities. He was in the front 
ranks most of that time, although on one occa- 
.sion he was confined in the hospital for about a 
month, the result of being vaccinated. His arm 
became very badly swollen, and it was feared at 
one time it would have to be amputated. From 
this sickness he never fulh' recovered, and he 
departed this life Jamiary 21, 1881, greatly 
mourned. He was a firm adherent of Repub- 
lican principles. A Grand Arnu' man, he was 
buried with the services of that order. 

Our subject and his sister, Hannah Ida, were 
the only members of their parents' family. She 
died when four years and eight months old. 
William T. is well educated, completing his 
studies in the schools of Bridgeport, which was 
near his home. When ready to begin life for 
him.self he was married, May 3, iS8j, to Miss 
Mary Rorrison, a native of the town of F'ayette. 
She is a most intelligent and accomplished lady, 
and after attending the academy at \\'aterloo and 
the schools of Ypsilanti, Mich., was engaged in 
teaching'' for a number of terms. By her union 
with our subject there have Ix'en born two sons: 
William Harrison, whose birth occurred Decem- 
ber 23, 1884; and Chester A., born January 25, 
1891. As may be expected, Mr. Beach is a true- 
blue Republican, and cast his fir.st Presidential 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



345 



ballot ill 1880 for James A. Garfield. He is a 
valued member of the Presbyterian Church of 
Seneca Falls, and with his good wife, who is also 
connected with this society, materially aids in ex- 
tending the good work and influence of the organ- 
ization. 



f- •}>K®^^®Hc-» •— f- 



HARRISON L. \'AUGHAN, an enterprising 
farmer, residing in Montour Falls, Schu3-ler 
County, was born on his parents' old home- 
stead, October 15, 1852. He is a son of Johnson 
and Elizabeth (Palmer) Vaughan, and a grand- 
son of Samuel Vaughan, who was a native of 
New Jersey, and who removed to Schuyler 
County in a ver^- early da)-, locating in the town 
of Hector, where he purchased five hundred 
acres of land. There he erected a cabin and re- 
sided until late in life, when he retired and moved 
to Burdett, where he and his wife spent the re- 
mainder of their days, their remains being inter- 
red in Burdett Cemeterj'. They were the parents 
of ten children, all of whom grew to maturity. 

Johnson \'aughan, the father of our subject, 
was the youngest son of Samuel Vaughan, and 
grew to manhood on his father's farm, receiving 
a common-school education. After his marriage 
to Elizabeth Palmer he located on a portion of his 
father's farm, and there resided for many years. 
He was a very active and energetic man and was 
successful in life, leaving at his death a large 
amount of property. In politics he was an ear- 
nest and enthusiastic Democrat, taking a lively 
interest in everything of a political nature, and 
filled many of the local offices of the count)-. He 
and his wife both died on the old hoir° place and 
their remains were interred in the old Burdett 
Cemetery. He was twice married, and by his 
first wife had four children, and one by his .second 
marriage. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on the 



old home farm and received his education in the 
common schools. In October, 1875, he was 
united in marriage with Miss Julia Sturdevant, a 
daughter of James and Ann E. (Blakesley) Stur- 
devant. Her father was one of the first to enter 
the service of his country in the Civil War, and 
was for a long time a pri.soner of war at Ander- 
sonville. His health was so impaired by his con- 
finement in that vile prison that he lived but a 
short time after his release. By the union of our 
subject and his wife there has been born one 
child, Elbert, a bright boy of fifteen years, now 
a .student in Cook's Academy. 

After their marriage Mr. \'aughan and his 
young bride located on his father's farm, which has 
ever since been their home, and on which he has 
been successfully engaged in general farming. 
Socially he is a Mason, and in politics is a Demo- 
crat, taking an active part in public affairs. A 
number of times he has represented his party in 
the county conventions, and has served on the 
County Central Committee. 



••>K' 




•i^*- 



(JOSEPH P. HOOD is engaged in a general 
I mercantile business at Canoga, Seneca Coun- 
G/ ty, and by his upright and honorable methods 
is in command of a good trade from the best 
people in the locality. He is a native of this 
county, and was born in the town of Fayette, 
May 12, 1847, his parents being Josiah and Sarah 
(Pratz) Hood. 

Our subject grew to manhood in his native 
place, and up to the age of si.Kteen years attended 
the schools taught in the district. At that age, 
however, he began doing for himself, working out 
by the month and receiving a very meager allow- 
ance for his .services. He continued to be thus 
occupied until thirty-five years of age, and, 
being very economical and exceedingly industri- 



346 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ous, laid by a snug little sum of money to invest 
in whatever way he thought best. With this he 
later purchased seventy-five acres of land, located 
in Charlevoix County, Mich., whither he had 
gone on a prospecting tour. Being well pleased 
with the country and the prospects which it 
offered, he decided to locate there. 

Mr. Hood was married, in March, 1886, to Miss 
Elizabeth Pontius, of the town of Fa>ette. Mrs. 
Hood was born here and was the daughter of 
Aaron and Mary (Riegel) Pontius. The year 
previous to his marriage Mr. Hood determined 
to go into business for himself, and accordingl>- 
purchased a varied stock of goods, which he 



placed on sale in a brick store. For about five 
years he and his father were in partnership at 
Canoga. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Hood there has been granted 
a daughter, Flora, who was born in the town of 
Fayette, May 16, 1891. Both parents are mem- 
bers of the Methodist Epi.scopal Church, in which 
body Mr. Hood is Trustee. In politics he is 
greatly interested in the success of the Republi- 
can party, to which he gives his ardent support. 
He first voted for Grant in 1868, and since that 
time has never let an opportunity pass to ballot 
for President. Socially he is a Mason of prom- 
inence and belongs to Fayette Lodge. 




jM «» 










^ 




1 


^-A ^ 

>* 





GEORGE S. ROWLEY. 



1 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



349 




SEORGE S. ROWLEY. The Willard State 
Hospital has called to its service a corps of 
capable and able men, perhaps higher in 
grade and ability than a private institution could 
command. In the eye of the public they hold a 
po.sition that depends upon efficiency and charac- 
ter, and they feel the inspiration of the service in 
which they are engaged. Among these men Mr. 
Rowley, the Superintendent of Construction, 
holds a good position. He has been engaged in 
his present capacity since 1872, and only charac- 
ter and ability could endure for so long a time in 
so critical a situation. 

Mr. Rowley was born October 20, 1830, near 
Erie, Pa. Elias and Laura iBushnellj Rowley, 
his parents, were natives of Connecticut, where 
our subject's ancestors had re.sided since 1630. 
In that year they came over from England and 
settled in Massachusetts, and from there removed 
to Connecticut. Asher Rowley, the grandfather, 
was a farmer, and reared his children to agricult- 
ural pursuits. His son Elias went to Pennsyl- 
vania to locate, but did not remain long in that 
state. In 1833 he returned to the old homestead 
in Connecticut to spend the last years of a long 
and honorable life, and at his death was over 
eighty years of age. His wife had died some 
years previously. He was a genuine Yankee, and 
for quite a long time peddled clocks through the 
South and West. 

In the parental family were seven sons and one 



daughter, all of whom lived to maturity. Hiram 
D. is a cigar manufacturer in Delphi. Warren 
was a soldier in a Michigan regiment in the Civil 
War, and has never been heard of since the close 
of the Rebellion. Charles L. is chief engineer in 
charge of the machinery of Willard Hospital. 
An.sel is a farmer in Osceola County, Mich. John 
was a soldier in the Seventh Connecticut Regi- 
ment, and died while an employe of Willard Hos- 
pital. Henry was a soldier in the Seventh Con- 
necticut Regiment. Catherine, the only daugh- 
ter, married and died in Connecticut. 

Mr. Rowley, our subject, remained on the farm 
until he was eighteen years of age, and attended 
the common school of his native town, and also 
Rockwell Acadenn-. While in Connecticut he 
learned the carpenter's trade, which has furnished 
him a useful and remunerative occupation all his 
life. In 1857 he went to Wilmot, Kenosha Coun- 
ty, Wis., and in 1864 was employed at Rockford, 
111. Ill-health came to interfere with the acti\e 
prosecution of his labor, and he relumed to the 
old Nutmeg State to recuperate. In 1867 he felt 
called to try the opportunities of the new West, 
and started for the land of the sunset. However, 
he only reached Geneva, where he found employ- 
ment satisfactory to his mind, and for a time 
dwelt at Watkins. In 1870 he went into the 
ser\-ice of the vSeneca Lake Navigation Company, 
to do the carpenter work that their boats required. 
After this he was employed by the management 



350 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



of the Willard State Hospital, and soon proving 
his efficiency was put in charge of the construction 
department, nearly all the buildings having been 
erected under his direction. 

Mr. Rowley was married, in 1851, to Miss So- 
phronia Bucknan, a native of Connecticut. Her 
ancestors came over in the "Mayflower," and she 
has a teaspoon which was brought over in that 
famous ship. Our subject and his wife became the 
parents of three children. Clifford S. met a tragic 
fate by drowning in the Fox Ri\-er in Wisconsin 
when he had barely pa.ssed his tenth year. Clar- 
ence G. is a machinist in the employ of the New 
York Central Iron Works. Edith N. is the wife 
ofC. B. Everett, of Lowville, Lewis County. 

Mr. Rowley is of Republican proclivities, but 
has never sought nor desired political prominence. 
He is not a member of any church or society. 
The work of the hospital occupies all his thought 
and care. He makes his home at Willard, living in 
a hou.se furnished by the state. During the war he 
was a recruiting officer in the service of the state, 
doing good work. He is a self-made man, and 
has won a large and sub.stantial success. 






,M=^^1iS 



_E) 



'?^!l|j^^' 



v_>' 



GJDDISON BALDRIDGE. Should the in- 
/ I quisilive stranger ask in the little village of 
/ I MacDougall for its most prominent citizen, 
very many would mention the gentleman whose 
name opens this sketch. He is at present the 
proprietor of the elevator, feedniill and imple- 
ment .store in the place, and is aLso conducting a 
thriving trade as a dealer in coal, hay, etc. He 
is a native of Seneca County, and was born in the 
town of Ronuilus, September 6, 1854. 

The parents of our subject were Alexander and 
Su.san A. (Wilkin.son) Baldridge, the former of 
whom was born on the same estate on which our 
subject first .saw the light; the mother was a na- 
tive of Yates Countv. When a \oung man Alex- 



ander went on a visit to friends in Seneca County, 
Ohio, where he met and married Miss Wilkinson, 
whose parents had lately removed to that state. 
Although they began in life with very limited 
means, the father later accumulated a goodly 
property and became a verj* prominent resident of 
his county. 

The father ot our subject was twice married, 
Addison being the only child of the fir.st union. 
After the death of his first wife Alexander married 
Mrs. Elizabeth Holton, and to them was born a 
.son, Charles J., who lives on the old homestead 
and is well-to-do in this world's goods. 

The boyhood days of our subject were .spent on 
the homestead, where he attended the district 
school regularly. When nineteen years of age he 
became a student at Cook Academy, in Schuxler 
Count}-, taking a course of two years. While 
there, December 27, 1876, he was married to Mi.ss 
Mary J. Sackett, a native of the town of Romulus, 
Seneca County. Of their union were born three 
children, namely: Lillian M., Claude and Daisy 
J., all at home. The wife and mother departed 
this life May 14, 1891, greatly mourned. Decem- 
ber 3, 1893, ^^^- Baldridge chose for his second 
wife Miss C. Gertrude Rappleye, of the village of 
Farmer, this county. There her birth occurred 
August 3, 1872, her parents being Hud.son and 
Samantha (Covert) Rappkye, substantial resi- 
dents of that section. 

The father of our subject died when Addison 
was twenty 3-ears of age, and through inheritance 
he received seventy-three acres of fine farming land 
in the town of Romulus. This he operated for the 
following four years, and in the fall of 188 1 lo- 
cated in the village of MacDougall, where he be- 
gan in- the agricultural-implement business. To 
this he afterward added coal, and as there was a 
good opening for the .shipment of hay from this 
connnunily he began dealing in this connuodity, 
and in 1886 erected his feedmill and elevator. 
He has ever been identified with the be.st interests 
of the county and ranks as a noticeable illustra- 
tion of that indomitable push and energy which 
characterize men of will and determination. 

Mr. Baldridge is a strong Prohibitionist in pol- 
itics and was the candidate of that party for the 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



351 



General Assembly on two occasions. Although 
he did not expect to be elected, he polled a strong 
vote. He is highly respected, and his advice and 
aid in all enterprises regarding the advancement 
of his conununity are very much appreciated. 



(@^__ _,.^imM^. 



IJNATHANIEL SEELY, who lives on the r(>ad 
rV leading from the turnpike to Whiskey Hill, 
l/j in the town of Waterloo, Seneca Couniy, is 
one of the representative farmers and oldest citi- 
zens of this locality. He is a native of Newjer- 
•sey and was born in the town of Wantage, Sus- 
sex County, May 15, 1817. His parents were 
Daniel and Ollie (Mead) Seely, natives, respect- 
ively, of Massachusetts and New Jersey. 

The father of our subject was a poor man and 
supported his family by working out by the day. 
He was drafted for the War of 181 2 twice, but his 
name was never read. When a boy he had very 
little opportunity to attend school, as his parents 
needed his help on the farm as soon as he was old 
enough to be of any assistance. Upon attaining 
mature years he was married to Miss Mead, and 
became the father of eleven children. He died 
in 1835, when the subject of this sketch, who 
was the third in order of birth, was in his eight- 
eenth year. 

When young, Nathaniel Seely was ambitious to 
learn the carpenter's trade and went so far as to 
apprentice himself to a good workman. His fa- 
ther refused to let him continue, however, as he 
said he could earn no more working at that busi- 
ness than on the farm. His father often took 
contracts for getting out timber, and young Na- 
thaniel learned to hew and .square the logs, thus 
making himself very useful about the place. He 
remained at home until twenty-four years of age, 
giving his mother his earnings up to that time. 
Then he purchased an acre of land, from which 



he hewed the timber in the cold winter weather 
and erected thereon a comfortable dwelling for his 
mother. 

In 1837 an elder brother of our subject came to 
Seneca County, and three years thereafter Na- 
thaniel joined him in this community, coming 
hither by way of the Hudson River and canals. 
He was, however, compelled to return to his 
native state in order to fulfill a contract for 
a piece of work, and on its completion again came 
to Seneca County, making permanent settlement 
here in the fall of 1841. He at first began work- 
ing out on farms by the month, but a short time 
afterward was paid b\- the da\-. In August, 
1842, he was married to Miss Laura Sparks, of 
Onondaga County, N. Y. Tliree years later he 
was enabled to make his first purchase of land in 
Seneca County, which consisted of twenty- acres. 
It was covered with timber, and Mr. Seely was 
compelled to clear a .space on which to erect his 
little cabin. It was then that his knowledge of 
carpentering served a good purpose, for with his 
own hands he constructed a neat frame structure, 
in which the family li\-ed for many years. This 
piece of workmanship created quite a furore 
among the carpenters of the neighborhood, for 
they did not see how it was po.ssible for one who 
had never learned the trade to construct a frame 
for a dwelling. They were invited to come antl 
see it, and were compelled to admit that it was as 
good a piece of workmanship as they could have 
done themselves. After this Mr. Seely found 
plenty of work to do in the carpentering line, and 
finally was employed in moving houses, which 
business commanded better pay. He was a per- 
fect genius in the use of tools, and it was not long 
before he was operating as a millwright, putting 
in w-ater-wheels, etc. 

After getting his twenty acres of land paid for 
our subject had an opportunity to purchase thirty 
more adjoining this tract, and, as on the other oc- 
casion, went in debt for part of it. To this was 
later added five acres, making in all fifty-five 
acres. As soon as this was cleared and placed 
under improvement he wished to buy more land, 
but as he was unable to do so and have the prop- 
erty adjoin his farm, he bought forty-three acres 



332 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RJECORD. 



in the town of Waterloo. A few years thereafter 
his family moved to the new place and Mr. vSeely 
disposed of the old farm at a handsome advance. 
As before, he wa.s not able to purchase vacant 
land on either side of this tract, and for that rea- 
son he became the proprietor of his present fine 
estate, numbering one hundred and twenty-five 
and three-fourths acres. He still retains his for- 
ty-three acres, also a small tract of twenty-three 
acres, so that he now owns nearlj- two hundred 
acres of some of the be.st farming land in the 
county. He has made considerable money in 
house-moving, which business he has followed 
nearly all his life. He at first charged very mod- 
erate prices for moving a building, but soon real- 
izing that he did better work than others who 
made that their business, he raised his price ac- 
cordingly. 

Mr. Seel_\' has been quite seriously injured on. 
several occasions, once falling from an apple 
tree, breaking four ribs, which never really knit. 
In 1894 he was hurt again, breaking several ribs 
this time al.so. At one time, when helping to 
raise a building, he fell and broke his right leg. 
During the Civil War he was on his way to enlist, 
when he was petitioned to stop and move a build- 
ing. He complied with the request, but was in- 
jured before completing the work. He fell from 
the structure and .struck his left heel, cau.sing an 
injury which prevented his thinking anything 
more about army life, for a time at least. 

Of the children born to our subject and his 
wife we mention the following facts: Daniel 
Jo.seph died at the age of nineteen years; Charles 
departed this life when in his eighteenth year; 
James is a farmer in the town of Waterloo; Ro- 
zalia married Emanuel Harpending, and they also 
make their home in the town of Waterloo; 
Thomas is .still on the home farm and a.ssi.sts in 
its management; Abram L. lives on a tract of 
land bordering on the village of Waterloo; and 
Reuben F. is also under the parental roof. 

Mrs. Nathaniel Seely, who died August 24, 
1890, was a most estimable lady and had hosts of 
warm friends in thiscommunit)'. In politics our 
subject was first a Whig and voted for William 
Henry Harrison, although his father and lirolh- 



ers were Democrats. On the organization of the 
Republican party he voted for Fremont, and has 
never lost a vote since 1840, with one exception, 
when he was away from home in Michigan. He 
was reared in the faith of the Baptist Church and 
all his life has been an esteemed member of that 
society. As one of the old and prominent resi- 
dents of Seneca County, we are pleased to be able 
to present his biography to our many readers. 




IILLIAM P. RIEGEL, owner of Maple 
Grove Farm, located on Cayuga Reserva- 
tion Road, leading from Cayuga to Seneca 
Falls, is one of the most prominent of the many 
progressive and successful farmers of this county. 
He was born within its confines, in the town of 
Fayette, December 22, 1844, to George and 
Mary (Manger) Riegel, who were also born in 
the same town. 

Grandfather Jacob Riegel came to this state 
from Pennsylvania after his marriage, and lo- 
cated on the farm which is now the property of 
our subject. At that lime the land was covered 
with a dense growth of wood, and he worked 
very hard to clear and place it under improve- 
ment. The first dwelling on the farm was a lit- 
tle log cabin, which has long since been removed 
and replaced with a more attractive and com- 
modious structure. Jacob Riegel became a very 
wealthy man, and exerted his influence at all 
times for the good of the community. His fam- 
ily consisted of seven children, all of whom were 
born and reared on this place. In addition to 
cultivating the large tract of land which he owned, 
he Ibllowetl the cooper's trade to some extent. 

The father of our subject inherited about sev- 
ent\-five acres of the home place, and there he 
made his home up to within the last fourteen 
years of his life. Having invested considerable 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



353 



money in property in Seneca Falls, about that 
time he moved into the village in order that he 
might give his attention more particularly to 
looking alter his real-estate interests. He was 
fairly well educated, and when about twenty-two 
years of age was married. He became the fa- 
ther of eleven children, all of whom are still liv- 
ing. In politics he was a Democrat, as was his 
father before him, although the latter joined the 
ranks of the Republicans after the anti- Masonic 
movement. At one time George Riegel was the 
candidate of the Greenback party for the Legis- 
lature. When a boy he was converted in the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and from that time 
until his death, in 1879, was an active worker in 
the same. His wife survived him until 1895, 
and was in her eighty-fourth year at the time of 
her decease. 

Like many of the boys of his neighborhood, 
our subject attended the district school and 
learned well the lessons given him to studj'. 
When a lad of fourteen he left home, and, going 
to Rochester, apprenticed himself to learn the 
carpenter's trade. He worked at this for one 
year, when he returned home and followed that 
business for the same length of time. It was 
then that his father wanted him to take charge of 
the home place, agreeing to give him one-third 
of the profits. This he con.sented to do, and so 
ably did he manage the place that he soon found 
himself in the receipt of a snug little sum of 
money. 

March 10, 1872, Mr. Riegel was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Lorana S. Troutman, of the 
town of Fayette, and the daughter of Jonathan 
Troutman. She continued his devoted wife and 
helpmate until her death, January i, 189 1. 

Mr. Riegel was first elected Assessor in 1889, 
for a period of three years, and on the expiration 
of his term was made his own successor. In 
1895, the year for another election, he was re- 
tained in office, making in all nine ,\-ears that he 
served as Assessor. He has been Trustee of the 
school district for two terms, and President of the 
Canoga Cemetery Association. 

The estate which our suliject owns comprises 
one hundred and thirty-two acres, supplied with 



substantial buildings and all needful machinery. 
For several years past he has rented his property 
to good advantage. Socially he belongs to Fayette 
Lodge No. 539, F. & A. M., in which he has 
filled many chairs. Politically he has always 
been a stanch supporter of the principles of the 
Democratic party. 



BENJAMIN BACON, a prominent farmer 
living on the Canandaigua Road, two miles 
northwest of the village of Waterloo, was 
born near his present home, June 30, 1829. His 
parents were Joel W. and Emma (Billings) Ba- 
con, the former born in Pittsfield, Mass., and the 
latter in New London, Conn. They were both 
of English ancestry. 

In 1800 the father of our subject was brought 
to New York by his parents, who had purchased 
a large tract of land in Seneca County. Their 
property was a mile square, and was located just 
west of where our subject now lives. Joel \\'. 
was sent back to Connecticut in order that he 
might gain a good education, and after leaving 
school he entered the law office of Judge Miller, 
under whose instruction he read Blackstone. He 
was duly admitted to the Bar, after he had pur- 
sued the prescribed course of study, and for a 
time practiced in Waterloo. Not liking this pro- 
fession as well as he thought he would, he soon 
after abandoned it, and, moving upon a farm, 
passed the remainder of his life engaged in its 
cultivation. 

Joel W. Bacon was twice married, by his first 
union becoming thu lather of a son, Elijah M., 
who, on attaining mature years, went to St. 
Clair, Mich., where he was married. At his death 
he left a family of seven children. The second 
marriage of Mr. Bacon resulted in the birth uf 
seven children, of whom Benjamin was the eldest 
but one, and of whom four are now living. The 



354 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



husband and father was a Whig in politics until 
the "grand old party" was organized, when he 
joined its ranks, supporting its first candidate, 
John C. Fremont. In 1876 he voted for R. B." 
Haj-es, and died about a week later, at the age 
of eighty years. He was often called upon by 
his fellow-townsmen to accept public offices, and 
on one occasion consented and was elected Com- 
missioner. He also aided in choo.singthe site for 
the state prison at Auburn. He was a thorough 
Christian, and was one of the organizers of the 
Episcopal Church at Waterloo, which he sup- 
ported liberally. 

Benjamin Bacon was reared to a life of useful- 
ness. He was sent to the schools of Waterloo as 
soon as old enough, completing the course in the 
Union School. June i, 1852, he was married to 
Mi.ss Emeline Mount, of the town of Seneca Falls, 
and the daughter of Randolph and Lydia (Hunt) 
Mount. About this time his father gave him a 
tract of one hundred acres. He carefully culti- 
\-ated the tract, but did not live upon it, and at"t- 
erward purchased the place on which he now re- 
sides, and which also belonged to his father. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Bacon there were born one 
son and five daughters. Jennie M. and AnnaH. 
are both deceased. Joel W. married Florence 
Peterson, and they have a family of six children; 
Emma, Clara M. and Mary E. complete the 
household. They are all well educated, and 1 
Mary E. attended Wells College in Cayuga Conn- \ 
ty for two years. Mrs. Bacon died in 18S8. 

Our subject cast his first Presidential vote in 
1852, for a Whig candidate, and since 1856 has 
supported the representatives of the Republican 
party. He has served his parly as a delegate to 
the various county conventions, and in many 
vfays, has been influential and prominent in the 
ranks. For many years he has been connected \ 
with the Agricultural Society, and for seven I 
years served as its President. His honored father 1 
aided in the organization of the first Agricultural 
Society in the county, and the male members of 
the family have always been coimected with this 
organization and aided in its upbuilding. Our 
subject remembers well attending the meetings of 
the society when they were held in an open lot. 



and no charges made for admi.ssion. They now 
have large grounds, and the meetings of this par- 
ticular society are considered the best in the state. 
Mr. Bacon is likewise a member of the Waterloo 
Historical Society, in the working of which he 
takes great interest. Together with his family, 
he is a member of the Episcopal Church, and is 
\'estryman of his congregation. 






^o>. 



^:^^^?^^ 



■K'^ 



IILIJAM H. VAN CLEEF. This part of 
the Empire State has proved a mine of 
wealth to hundreds of industrious farmers, 
who, by dint of hard work and enterprise, have 
developed the resources which nature so liberally 
provided. One of this class of residents of Seneca 
Count}- is Mr. Van Cleef, a prominent farmer and 
stock-raiser of the town of Tyre. He was born on 
his present estate, which is located four miles 
north of Seneca Falls, and which is devoted 
chiefly to the raising of Shorthorn cattle. 

Our subject, who was born on the 9th of April, 
1857, is the son of William G. and Hannah N. 
(Greene) Van Cleef, the former of whom was a 
native of vSeneca Falls. Eawrence Van Cleef, 
the great-grandfather, served as a soldier in the 
Revolutionary War, fighting under General Sul- 
livan during the expedition of that noted Gen- 
eral through Seneca County. In 1789 he re- 
turned to this section and became the first per- 
manent settler at Seneca Falls. In the fall of 
that year he was joined by his family, and erected 
a double log hou.se, one part of which was used 
as a tavern. He also bore the distinction of erect- 
ing the first frame building in Seneca Falls, into 
which he moved his family in 1794. His daugh- 
ter, Mrs. Jane Goodwiji, was the first white child 
born in that now beautiful village, and became the 
mother of Edward and Charles Mynderse. The 
great-grandfather had trouble with the Indians 



i 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



.1.1^ 



for a time, but soon succeeded in making them 
his friends. He constructed a craft to be used in 
navigating Seneca I^ake, and became the main de- 
pendence of the people in piloting boats over the 
rapids. He departed this life in 1830, and was 
buried where he built his first camp fire, which 
spot is now contained in the residence property of 
Horace Silsby, Sr. 

George \'an Cleef, the grandfather of our sub- 
ject, spent his entire life in this county. He was 
born in 1797, and as soon as old enough engaged 
in agricultural pursuits, following farming until 
his death in 1844. William G., the eldest child 
in his family, was born in 1814. He, too, became 
a farmer, and lived in the town of Seneca Falls 
until i860, when he moved to the town of Tyre, 
where he was living at the time of his death, in 
1 89 1. In the councils of the Republican party 
he became quite prominent, and at different times 
was the succe.ssful candidate for the offices of As- 
sessor and Overseer of the Poor. 

To William G. and Hannah N. \'an Cleef 
there were born three children, of whom our sub- 
ject was the youngest. Lawrence, who is freight 
agent for the New York Central Road at Niagara 
Falls, is unmarried; Alice is now Mrs. George 
Freelard, and makes her home in vSeneca Falls. 
The father of this family was a consistent mem- 
ber of the Presbyterian Church, and socially was 
connected with the Grange. 

William H. received a good education in the 
district schools, and when eighteen years old 
began the battle of life on his own account. His 
first occupation was operating a steam threshing- 
machine, which he worked for about ten 3-ears. 
He still has his machine in his po.ssession, and 
when needed it is run by hired help. 

Mr. Van Cleef and Miss Mary E. Beach, of 
Seneca Falls, were married February 25, 1891. 
The latter was born in the town of Montezuma, 
Cayuga Count}-, this state, whence she was 
brought to this .section while young. She is well 
educated, having attended Mynder.se Academy 
at Seneca Falls. Her parents were Bolivar and 
Ellen (Radford) Beach, and her grandfather, 
Ezekiel Beach, was one of the oldest .settlers in 
this countw 



To our subject and his wife there have been 
granted two children: Ellen Hannah, born in the 
town of Tyre, January 22, 1893; and Lawrence 
W., November 29, 1894. Mr. Van Cleef is a 
firm Republican in politics, on which ticket he 
was elected Pligluvay Commissioner of the town 
of T}'re, overcoming a large Democratic majority. 
He is a member of Seneca Grange No. 44, at Sen- 
eca Falls, and is in other ways prominent in the 
social affairs of his comnuuiity. His farm com- 
prises one hundred and thirty acres of land, 
which, as stated above, is devoted mainh' to the 
raising of Shorthorn Durham cattle. 




nOHN E. DISINGER. Among the enter- 
I prising agriculturists who are making a sue- 
(2/ cess of their calling, we feel in duty bound 
to make mention of our subject, who is one of the 
most intelligent of his class in Seneca County. 
He comes of a prominent family in this section, 
one which has aided greatly in the settlement 
and development of the town of Fayette. 

Mr. Disinger was born in the above town on 
the 2d of March, 1856. He is now living two 
miles south of Canoga, on a finely cultivated es- 
tate, to which he gives his entire time and atten- 
tion. His parents were Daniel and Christiana 
(Schroyer) Disinger, and for a full history of this 
worthy couple we refer the reader to another 
page in this volume. 

Our subject grew to manhood on the old home- 
stead in this town, and received a good educa- 
tion, as did al-so his brothers and sisters. He did 
what he could to assi.st in the cultivation of the 
home place, and by so doing not only served his 
father, but gained a thorough knowledge of the 
vocation which he determined to follow. He was 
married, March 3, 1880, to Miss Celia Iv IhiiT, 
whose birth occurred in the town of Fa\ette, 



356 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



October 20, 1859. Her parents, James L. and 
Clarissa M. (Nease) Huff, were well known resi- 
dents of this neighborhood, and Miss Celia and 
John E. were schoolmates. Their union has 
been blessed bj- the birth of a son, Berney J., 
who was born July 17, 1889, on the place where 
they now live. Mrs. Disinger has one brother, 
George N, who is a farmer by occupation, and 
by his marriage with Hannah Peters has one 
child. Pearl. 

When our subject was twenty years of age, his 
father paid him wages at the rate of Sioo per 
year, he receiving this amownt until his marriage. 
After that event young Disinger worked the 
homestead on .shares, his father agreeing to this 
arrangement for fourteen years. His parents 
then decided to let him have one hundred acres 



of land, for which he was to pay a certain sum of 
money. Industry and enterprise are numbered 
among his chief characteristics, and by his up- 
right dealing and good business abilit}- he has 
won prosperity. He exercises his right of fran- 
chise in favor of the Democratic party, casting 
his first Presidential vote for Hancock in 1880. 
Mr. Disinger has two brothers, Peter E. and 
Sidney F. The former is engaged in farming on 
a good estate in this town, two miles south of 
Canoga. He was born January 26, 1854, and 
p-ebruary 13, 1878, was married to Miss Marj' J. 
YeluefF. They have two children: Frank P., 
born December i, 1878; and Anabell, December 
14, 1882. Like the other members of his family, 
he, too, is a Democrat. The other brother, Sid- 
nev, lives with his father on the old homestead. 




^es G <D r^^ 






WILUAM GULICK, M. D. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



359 



.£x::sx J^»^ 




"^^aJT^JtSr"^ 



pQlLLIAM GULICK, M. D., is one of the 
\ A / oldest and most distinguished physicians 
YY and surgeons in Watkins, and in all the 
country round about his name is that of a famil- 
iar friend and helper. A native of Seneca Coun- 
ty, he was born in the town of Ovid, December 
7, 1814, and is a son of Samuel and Ann (Sayre) 
Gulick, the former a descendant of German an- 
cestors, and the latter of English lineage. His 
maternal grandparents were John and Sallie 
( Brewster ) Sayre. His paternal grandfather, 
Nicholas Gulick, .settled in the town of Ovid and 
engaged in farm pursuits, which occupation his 
son Samuel also followed. 

Dr. Gulick is the eldest of five children, three 
sons and two daughters, who comprise the pa- 
rental family, and all of whom are living. He 
passed his boyhood in Seneca County, and after 
attending the common schools, for some years 
attended Ovid Academy, and then finished in 
Homer Academy at Cortland, an institution of 
high grade. One year was spent in teaching 
school, and he then turned his attention to the 
study of medicine, which he read with Dr. E. J. 
Busvine, formerly of London, England, but then 
of Ovid. His studies were finished under Dr. 
Lewis Post, of Lodi, and in the College of Physi- 
cians and Surgeons at Fairfield, N. Y. He re- 
ceived a license to practice from the Seneca Coun- 
ty Medical Society, and began professional work 
January i, 1838, in Tyrone, Schuyler County. 

13 



In the spring of 1865 Dr. Gulick came to Wat- 
kins, where he has carried on a general practice 
from that time to this, and is now one of the old- 
est practitioners of this part of the state. He has 
practiced continuously from 1838 to the present 
time (1895), and his career has been that of a 
careful, skillful and well informed physician. In 
1878 the degree of M. D. was conferred upon him 
by the Regents of the State Universit}'. His 
ability has been recognized by his fellow-towns- 
men in other than professional directions. He 
was Superintendent of the .schools of Tyrone 
Town, and was made County Superintendent of 
Schools when that office was established . He 
also served as a member of the State Assembly, 
to which position he was electeil in 1876 and 
1877. Prior to the firing on Ft. Sumter, he had 
been a Democrat, but since that time he has act- 
ed with the Republican party, and has always 
been loyal to the interests of the Government. 

For many years Dr. Gulick has been a Mason, 
being a member of the blue lodge at \Ve.ston and 
the chapter at Watkins. He has a commodious 
house, well furnished and surrounded with pleas- 
ant grounds, and hero he is passing his declining 
days, environed with the regard of those among 
whom he has labored during his professional life. 

In December, 1837, at Lodi, Seneca County, 
Dr. Gulick and Miss Louisa Couch were united 
in marriage. Mrs. Gulick was a daughter of 
Aaron Coucii, and a native of Seneca Countv. 



36o 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



She died at the family home in Watkins, in Feb- 
ruar)-, 1876. Two children were born of the 
union, both daughters, of whom Anah is de- 
ceased, and Anna E. is with her father. The 
latter was carefully educated, and for a time was 
a student in Dundee Academy She is a woman 
of fine literarj- acquirements, and while very 
young exhibited a natural talent for music, draw- 
ing and painting, and studied these branches un- 
der good masters. In the higher branches of 
culture she has been an indefatigable worker. 
She improvises many of her musical compositions, 
and several of her productions, both sacred and 
secular, have been published, one of which may 
be found in the Epworth Hymnal. Among her 
best-known compositions are the "Seneca Lake 
Mazurka" and the "Dance of the Brownies." 
Since the age of fourteen years she has been or- 
ganist in some one of the churches where she has 
resided. In her studio may be seen many fine 
paintings in oil, water-color and pastel. For 
many years she has been a very successful teach- 
er of music and painting, and since 1890 has been 
Vice-President for Schuyler County of the State 
Music Teachers' Association. When not engaged 
in her musical or artistic work, she finds time to 
indulge a few hours of each day in her well 
selected library and in the companionship of her 
father. 



-J"-»-^ 



—t—i- 



'"'^M^" 



0AMUEL S. CONOVER. This name is 
2\ borne by one of the most honored and high- 
CyJ ly esteemed residents of Seneca County. He 
is also a popular official, and .since 1894 has been 
Superintendent of the County Poor. A native of 
this state, he was born in the city of Brooklyn, 
March 7, 1847, his parents being George S. and 
Augusta ( Jeroleman) Conover. The former, now 
residing in Geneva, N. Y., was born in the City 



of Churches, November 7, 1824, and was there 
reared to manhood, his iather, Grandfather Peter 
Conover, being a well-to-do merchant there. He 
was given a collegiate education, and must have 
married very soon alter leaving college, as we 
find that he was but nineteen years of age when 
that important event was celebrated. His wife, 
to whom he was united November 9, 1843, was 
also born in Brooklyn, on the 7th of October, 1821. 

Upon engaging in business for himself, George 
S Conover became a member of the firm of 
Parker & Conover, flour merchants in Brooklyn, 
the partnership existing until about 1850. That 
5xar he di.sposed of his interest in the business, 
and, on coming to this county, invested in fifty 
acres of farming land in the town of Varick, on 
the banks of Lake Seneca, where he made his 
home for some time. His wife died soon after lo- 
cating here, June 5, 1852, and her remains were 
taken back to her native city and laid to rest in 
Greenwood Cemetery. 

The parental family included five children, 
two of whom died in infanc)'. The other three 
were living at the time of the mother's decease, 
but one is now deceased. Augusta married 
Clarence E. Spence, and died in the town of 
Varick a few years after that event, leaving a 
daughter, Lillie A. Spence. Our subject's only 
brother living is Peter Conover, a resident of 
Geneva, N. Y. He is married and has one son, 
Leslie J. 

George S. Conover was a second time married, 
and of this union one daughter is living, Evelyn 
T. , who is at home. He moved from the farm to 
Geneva iu the year 1870, and has ever since been 
identified with the interests of that flourishing 
city. He is a stanch Democrat in politics, and 
while living in the town of Varick held the office 
of Supervisor. Since taking up his abode in 
Geneva he has been President of the Board of 
Village Trustees, and has held the responsible of- 
fice of Police Justice. Of late years he has paid 
considerable attention to compiling a history of 
the early days in this county, and is especially 
interested in Indian liLstory. He has always 
been a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, 
and during his younger days was an active 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3^"" 



worker in the Sunday-school, which he served as 
Superintendent. He has also held the official 
position of Deacon of his congregation. 

Samuel S., of this sketch, was in his tliird year 
at the time his parents came to Seneca County. 
He was therefore reared on the farm in this com- 
munity, and, like other lads of that day, gained 
his education in the schools of the district. Feb- 
ruary 13, 1864, during the progress of the late 
war, he offered his services as a soldier, telling 
the enli.sting officer he was eighteen, whereas he 
was not quite seventeen years old. He was ac- 
cepted, however, as a new recruit and placed in 
Battery L, First New York Light Artillery, com- 
monly known as Reynolds' Batter}-, as it was or- 
ganized by Captain Reynolds. The command 
formed a part of the Army of the Potomac. He 
bore a part in the battles of the Wilderness, Cold 
Harbor and Weldon Railroad, and was present 
at the tall of Richmond. At the battle of Wel- 
don Railroad he was slightly wounded on the 
left elbow by a minie-ball, but the wound was not 
serious enough to prevent his reporting for duty. 
He participated in thirteen battles and engage- 
ments, serving faithfully and well from the time 
of his enlistment until the establishment of peace, 
and with man>' of his comrades was honorably 
discharged June 17, 1S65. 

On his return home from the field of battle 
young Conover attended school at the academ\' 
at Ovid for about a year, after which he worked 
out \>y the month on neighboring farms for a few 
years. During this time he saved the greater 
part of his wages, and in 1869 purchased eighty 
acres of land in the vicinity of the old homestead. 
May 24, 1 87 1, he was married to Miss Mary E. 
Dey, who was born in the town of Fayette, this 
county, her parents being Peter B. and Mary 
(Dey) Dey, natives of New Jersey. 

Mr. Conover made his home on the abo\e 
farm from 1S72 until 1894, in which latter year 
he was elected to his present responsible office. 
He gives entire .satisfaction to those most con- 
cerned, and is jiroving himself to be the right 
man in the right place. In politics he is a stanch 
Democrat, and on this ticket served as Com- 
missioner of Highways for a period of nine years. 



He has also been the delegate of his party to the 
various conventions held in the county and state, 
and never loses an opportunity to use his influ- 
ence for its further success. A Grand Army 
man, he belongs to Tyler J. Snyder Po.st No. 72, 
at Waterloo. To our subject and his estimable 
wife there has been born a daughter, Mary E. 



Gl NDREW J. SEELV, who is numbered among 
I 1 the leading men in Seneca County engaged 
/ I in agricultural pursuits, has been a life-long 
resident of the town of Romulus, and was born 
here April 28, 1828. From boyhood he has fol- 
lowed the plow, sown the grain, and .season after 
season has reaped a rich harvest. While his life 
may have been an uneventful one, he has the sat- 
isfaction of knowing that it has been such as to 
benefit and not injure his fellow-man. 

Our subject comes of excellent stock. His 
grandfather, Jonas Seely, who was a native of 
Orange County, came to this county in 1793, and 
took a very prominent part in developing its ma- 
terial interests. He located in the town of Romu- 
lus, where he purchased a large tract of land and 
engaged extensively in farming. Being a man 
of positive convictions, and one who had consid- 
erable enterprise and pluck, his ability was soon 
recognized by his fellow-citizens, and he was elect- 
ed Associate Judge of the county, fdling the du- 
ties of the office in a very acceptable manner. He 
also served his county in the Legislature for sev- 
eral terms, being first elected in 1819. In educa- 
tional matters he was greatly interested, andtook 
an active part in the organization of the .school 
districts and in the establishment of the public 
.schools. In politics he was a .stanch Democrat, 
and adhered to that part\- until his deatli, at the 
age of seventy-two years. 

Hiram Seely, our subject's father, was born on 
the old homestead in the town of Romulus on 



362 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



which Andrew J. was born. Here he lived 
from boj'hood to young manhood, and in ripe old 
age passed to his reward. By his marriage with 
Laura Seely he had six children: Andrew J., 
Auzuba B., Theana E., Abigail (who died in 
infancy), Abigail and Thaddeus E. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on the 
home farm, and received but a limited education 
in the public schools. He continued working for 
his father without remuneration until thirty years 
of age, when he began working for himself. 
However, he remained at home with his parents, 
and on the death of the father took charge of the 
home farm, controlling the same until forty-one 
years of age, when he was united in marriage 
with Miss Annie E. Simpson, who is also a native 
of Seneca County. After their marriage they re- 
moved to a rented farm, which he continued to 
cultivate for two years. To Mr. and Mrs. Seely 
three children were born, Leon, Laura M. and 
Ernest, but the second-born is now deceased. 

In 1S92, after living on various farms, our sub- 
ject removed to the old homestead on which he 
was born, and where he has since continued to 
reside. He has never taken a very active interest 
in political affairs, but in all general and state 
elections votes the Democratic ticket. 






(John bo yes. This, in brief, is the sketch of 
I a man whose present substantial position in 
G/ life has been reached entirely through his 
own per.severance, and the facts connected with 
his operations and their results show what a per- 
son with ambition and enterprise can accomplish. 
He is now residing on a neat farm located in the 
northwest corner of the town of Waterloo, Sen- 
eca County, which he devotes principally to mar- 
ket-gardening. 



Mr. Bo5'es is a native of England, and was born 
March 23, 1828, in the little village of Kirkburn, 
Yorkshire. His parents were John and Hannah 
(Endick) Boyes, people in limited circumstances. 
When quite young, John hired out as an errand 
boy to a gentleman in his neighborhood, who gave 
him f,-, a j-ear and his board after he had attained 
his ninth j'ear. When a lad of thirteen years he 
was given ^5, and this was increased a little each 
3ear until he was able to perform a man's work. 
On attaining his eighteenth year his wages were 
equal to $70 in our mone},-, and a year later he 
received $90. He was then acting as foreman for 
a farmer, but shortly after this a former employer 
hired him to again enter his service, paying him 
$115, which was the largest salar}- he was ever 
able to earn in his native land. From these mu- 
nificent wages he was enabled to save a little sum, 
and at the time of his marriage was in possession 
of .^50. 

When very young our subject attended a, school 
taught by an old lady, who spent more time in 
trying to teach him to knit and sew tlian how to 
read and write. It is safe to say, however, that 
he never excelled in these homely household du- 
ties. From that time until twenty-two j-ears of 
age he never entered the doors of a schoolhouse, 
and at the latter age was only able to attend four 
weeks. He studied very hard during this time, 
as he was very anxious to learn. 

Mr. Boyes was married, March 30, 1851, to 
Miss Mary Holtby, al.so a native of England, and 
who was born January 5, 1829, near the old home 
of our subject. Her parents were William and 
Mary (Brown) Holtby, who spent their entire 
lives in England. The day following his marriage 
Mr. Boyes, accompanied by his parents, brothers 
and sisters, embarked on a sailing-vessel bound 
for America, and after twenty -seven dajs and 
nights on the water were landed in the port of 
New York. Tlie_\- very soon left the metropolis 
and made their way to Watkins, a beautiful vil- 
lage at the foot of Lake Seneca, in Schuyler 
County. There they joined an uncle of our sub- 
ject, who aided them in getting established in 
their new home. Mr. Boyes then hired out as a 
farm hand at $11 per month, but in the fall of 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



363 



the year, however, he removed to Geneva, where 
he found emploj-ment which brought in $13 per 
month. During the winter he and his father and 
brother cut cordwood for two shillings and six- 
pence per cord, having employment at this all 
winter. 

In the spring of 1852 Mr. Boyes returned to 
Schuyler County and became an employe in a 
sawmill, his salary at this time being $18 per 
month, which, although a small sum, was a large 
increase over his first wages. The father re- 
mained in Ontario County, where his wife died 
August 19, 1S.S3, after which .sad event our sub- 
ject and his wife made their home with him. 

In the fall of 1854 Mr. Boyes entered into part- 
nership with his brother, and together they pur- 
chased seventy-two acres of land, for which they 
paid $60 per acre. In the spring of the following 
year our subject began his residence on this place, 
and he is still occup3-iug the dwelling which 
stood upon the farm at the time it was purchased. 
The land was divided in 1861, our subject retain- 
ing sixty acres as his share, and he immediately 
set out all kinds of fruit and shade trees, and im- 
proved the estate after the most accepted methods. 
For a number of years he gave his attention prin- 
cipally to market-gardening, but of late years has 
not worked ver}- hard, as he now has a comforta- 
ble income. Mr. Boyes had two brothers, the 
elder of whom, William, never married. Many 
years ago he purchased a farm near Belleville, 
Republic County, Kan., where he died. The 
}-ounger brother, Thomas, was married, and on 
his death, January 10, 187 1, left a wife and five 
children. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Boyes have been born eight 
children. Charlotte E. married William Hutchin- 
son, and the family now lives in Delavan, Morris 
County, Kan. Hannah M.,Mrs. Nelson Reynolds, 
makes her home in Kingston, Tuscola County, 
Mich. Mary Ann is the wife of Frederick Dil- 
man, and their home is in Geneva, N. Y. Sarah 
Jane, whose home is in the town of Phelps, On- 
tario County, this state, is the wife of Clarence 
Alcock. Hattie is the wife of Clarence Toby, of 
the town of Waterloo. Alice L. is a graduate of 
the normal school at Brockport, N. Y., and is 



now employed in teaching in the schools of On- 
tario Countj'. John Grant is married and lives 
near Belleville, Kan: and Cora E. is .still at home 
with her parents. 

Mr. Boyes declared his intention of becoming a 
citizen of the United States in 1855, but neglected 
to take out the necessary papers until five years 
later. This was completed in time, however, to 
enable him to cast his first vote for Abraham 
lyincoln. 



—♦•>!<« 




yy ARTIN D. HALL,, who for many years was 
y a prominent agriculturist and land-owner 
(3 in Schuyler County, was born in the pres- 
ent village of Spencer, Tioga County, N. Y., 
August 9, 1 8 16. He grew to manhood in his 
native town and was reared to the life of a farmer. 
November 20, 1847, he married his first wife, 
Jane Miller, a daughter of Barnabas Miller, of 
Catharine, and after her death he married Emma 
E. Van Loone, a daughter of Richard Van Loone, 
of Alpine. In 1851 he moved to Catharine, and 
in 1858 to Alpine. When but twenty-one years 
of age he was elected Supervisor of the town of 
Cayuta, when it was a part of Chemung County, 
and prior to the formation of Schuyler County. 
In 1864, after Cayuta became a part of Schuyler 
County, he was re-elected to the same position. 
In 1865 and 1866, and also from 1877 to 1S81, in- 
clusive, he represented his town on the Board of 
Supervisors, making an excellent and popular 
official. About that time he was made the Green- 
back-Democratic candidate for Member of the 
Assembly, but, the county being strongly Repub- 
lican, he was defeated with the rest of the ticket. 
The parents of Mr. Hall came from Westchester 
County in 1798, and located in what afterward 
became the town of Spencer, in Tioga County, 
but which was then a pathless wilderness, where 
they endured every privation incident to pioneer 



3^4 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



life. The father wa.s a student, and combined 
teaching and farming as the country became pop- 
ulated. On the paternal side he was of English 
ancestry, on the maternal side of French. The 
mother, Elizabeth ( Fosha) Hall, was a cousin of 
Isaac Van Wort, of Revolutionary fame, one of 
the three captors of the British spy. Major Andre. 
The hardships through which the family passed 
laid the foundation of that sturdy manhood and 
.self-reliance that characterized the five sons, and 
the fortitude manifested by the seven daughters. 
Edward, the eldest son, was a merchant, and died 
in Canada. George was the first Mayor of Owa- 
tonna, Steele County, Minn. , where he died. Like 
his father, Chester was a teacher and farmer, and 
died in Illinois. Lafayette was a minister, and 
died in California, where he had gone to complete 
his education. Martin D., our subject, was the 
only one who remained in the state of New York. 
Of the seven daughters only two survive: Mrs. 
Phillips, of Owatonna, Minn. ; and Mrs. Handy, 
of Havana. 

In his domestic relations Mr. Hall was an ex- 
ceptional man. He was never known to give an 
angry or unpleasant word to any of his famih- or 
help, and it was always a pleasure to meet him at 
home or abroad. He was kind, considerate, in- 
telligent, genial and affectionate, but firm, decided 
and strong in his convictions, and when sure 
that he was right could not be swerved from them. 
He was liberal in heart, soul and .sentiment, 
provident and sagacious, but fair and honorable 
in all his dealings with his fellow-men. A man of 
sterling honesty and integrity, he enjoyed in a 
marked degree the esteem, respect and confi- 
dence of his many friends and the public. By his 
strict attention to business, and by his foresight 
and good judgment, he accumulated a large prop- 
erty. His health for a number of xears prior to 
his death had been poor, but though physically 
feeble, his mind and faculties were unimpaired 
until the last, and he managed his affairs and at- 
tended to every detail .so well that but little was 
left to do in settling up his large estate of over 
twelve hundred acres, besides much other prop- 
erty, real and personal. Everything that loving 
hearts could .suggest or willing hands do for his 



comfort was done by his faithful wife and loving 
family during his illness. Thej' will ever cherish 
his memory, realizing that he was a devoted and 
affectionate husband, a kind father and a true 
friend. 

Mrs. Emma Hall, our subject's widow, is the 
youngest daughter now living of Richard and 
Martha M. (Chambers) ^'an Loone, and was 
born in the town of Catharine, which has always 
been her home. John Van Loone, her grand- 
father, came to this county from Schoharie County 
and located on what is still known as Van Loone's 
Hill, where her father was born. He spent his 
entire life in this county, and died in 1883, leav- 
ing a family of seven daughters and one son. By 
Mr. Hall's finst marriage there were three children 
born, one of whom died in childhood, and two 
sons are yet living. Miller D., the elder son, 
was graduated from Ithaca Academy when .sev- 
enteen years old and engaged in teaching, and 
also followed a mercantile business and milling, 
but finally", like his father, settled down to farm- 
ing. G. Edward, the younger .son, remained 
with his father until the latter's demise, when he 
chose agriculture as his calling. 



(^ 



10 



'^^III^JsK^' 



t:> 



EHARLES GOUGAR. The subject of the 
following sketch can certainly look back 
upon a busy life, and feel that his labors 
have not been in vain. When success crowns 
any victor in a struggle, reward is his due, and 
Mr. Gougar receives his reward in the peace and 
plenty which surround his declining years, and 
the rest he can now take after the hard fight 
against disadvantageous circumstances and pov- 
erty. He was born January 28, 1S15, in the 
town of Varick, Seneca County, but is now living 
in the town of Fayette. 

The parents of our subject were George and 
Catherine (Kime) Gougar, natives of Pennsyl- 



4 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



365 



vaiiia, where they were married, and where they 
continued to reside for a few years. The father 
was a blacksmith by trade, following this busi- 
ness in the towns of Varick and Fayette, in which 
places he resided. Some time after his removal 
to the latter place, he purcha.sed one hundred and 
fifty acres of land, which was partly cleared and 
improved. 

George and Catherine Gougar became the par- 
ents of a large family of children, thirteen in lunn- 
ber, nearly all of whom grew to mature years. 
Of this family one son makes his home in Ohio, 
and two in the state of Illinois. Charles, of this 
history, who was the fourth of the family, lived 
at home until attaining his eighteenth year, when 
he apprenticed himself to learn the carpenter's 
trade. For his first year's work he received $20, 
the second $30, and the third $50. After becom- 
ing thoroughh- competent, he was employed bj' 
his instructor for a twelvemonth, and then worked 
for other parties for the following two years. At 
the end of that time he began contracting, and so 
successful was he in this line of business, that he 
continued thus employed until forty years of 
age. 

In March, 1841, when twenty -six years of age, 
Mr. Gougar was married to Miss Elizabeth Esh- 
euour, then a resident of the town of Fayette, but 
who was born in Pennsylvania. To them was 
granted a family of seven children, one of whom 
died in infancy. Another child died when twen- 
ty-six years old, and the third when in her fiftieth 
year. Charles is a farmer near Waterloo; Will- 
iam re-sides on the old homestead; Lewis is mar- 
ried, and also makes his home with his father; 
and Anna became the wife of William Pratz, and 
lives in the town of Fayette. 

Mr. Gougar saved a snug little sum of money 
by working at his trade, which he invested in 
sixty -nine acres of land. He was prosperous in 
everything which he undertook in the way of 
cultivating the soil, and is now the owner of a 
large tract, comprising two hundred broad and 
well cultivated acres. It is adorned with a com- 
fortable dwelling, and the surroundings are pleas- 
ant. 

In politics Mr. Gougar was a Whig in early 



years, and cast his first Presidential ballot for 
William Henry Harrison in 1840. On the organ- 
ization of the Repnl)lican party he allied himself 
with its supporters and has been a stanch advo- 
cate of the same ever since. He has never been 
an aspirant for office, being satisfied to devote his 
attention to his private interests and let those 
hold office who desire to do .so. 



..._^ 



++++•!■♦♦•{• •{••i"'?*"?' ■{••{••£■•!• 



(eT 



'^ 



r~RANK R. SHEPHERD has ever been an 
r^ active supporter of all laudable enterprises 
I ' in the town of Tyrone, and is one of Schuy- 
ler County's best citizens. He is an able agri- 
culturist and a man whose life has been passed in 
the calling which now receives his attention. 
His estate includes one hundred and thirty-one 
acres, adorned with a neat residence and substan- 
tial outbuildings. 

Our subject is the son of John Shepherd, who 
was born in North Haven, Conn., April 27, 1809. 
His mother was Nancy J. Atwood, a native of 
Massachusetts, her birth occurring March 19, 
1822. They were united in marriage in Schuy- 
ler County, and soon after located in the town of 
Reading, where they lived happily until the hus- 
band and father was called from this life, August 
26, 1888. Mrs. Shepherd makes her home in 
Watkins with her daughter, Mrs. Haring. 

Our subject has two sisters, one older and one 
younger than himself. Jane M. married Charles 
Haring, of Watkins, who died about 1882. Esther 
J. is now Mrs. Frank H. Sayre, of Dundee. 
Frank R., who was the only son of the house- 
hold, was born in the town of Reading, Novem- 
ber 9, 1850. He was there reared to mature 
years, and spent his boyhood days and the dull 



366 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



seasons of farm work in attending school. He 
thus became well informed, and has never ceased 
to add to his knowledge by reading good books. 
He remained with his father until November, 
1887, the year before the latter's death, when he 
removed with his wife to the town of Tyrone, on 
the place where he now re.sides. 

Mr. .Shepherd and Miss Lottie Bigelow were 
united in marriage in Altay, February 5, 1884. 
The lady is the daughter of James V. and Flora 
(Clark) Bigelow, the parents of six children, 
of whom Mrs. Shepherd was the youngest, her 
birth occurring May 28, 1864. By her union 
with our subject there have been born three chil- 



dren, namely: Edith L., born Januarj' 19, 1886; 
John C, October 26, 1888; and Clayton B., Oc- 
tober 20, 1891. 

In addition to this place of one hundred and 
thirty -one acres, Mr. Shepherd owns a valuable 
tract in the town of Reading, which embraces 
ninety-five acres. He is one of the mo.st respected 
and influential citizens in this community, and 
contributes liberally to all worthy enterprises. 
Politically he has always supported Republican 
principles, but in no sense of the term could he 
be considered an office-seeker. In church rela- 
tions Mrs. Shepherd is an exemplary Presbyte- 
rian, and is an active worker in that bodv. 





MR. AND MRS. O. H. MILI^KR .WD CHIIJ). 




PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



369 




^^^i^^^^ 



GEORGE E. MILLER. 



-^^^^^^^ 




■JjEORGE E. MILLER has passed the busy 

□ life of a farmer, and is classed among the 
prosperous agriculturists of Schuyler Coun- 
ty. His estate is situated in the midst of one of 
the finest farming regions of this .section, and this 
is saying not a little, for on every hand may be 
seen highly cultivated farms, the appearance of 
which denotes thrift and prosperity. He is one of 
the representative citizens of the town of Read- 
ing, and gives his hearty support to all enter- 
prises for the good of the community. 

The father of our subject, Johnson A. Miller, 
was born in the town of Lansing, Tompkins 
County, N. Y., April 7, 1808. Upon reaching 
his majority he removed to the town of Reading, 
Schuyler County, where the most of his life was 
passed. For a few years he resided on Staten 
Island, but his heart and home were still among 
his native hills. January 13, 1836, he married 
Miss Rebecca Palmer, a native of New York, 
and daughter of Jonathan Palmer, of Orange, 
Schuyler County. They became the parents of 
six children, namely: Betsey, Mrs. John Damoth, 
deceased; Thomas, of Reading Center; Jacob, 
who lives at Corning; Sanford, of Chicago, 111.; 
Alphe, deceased; and George E. Three of these 
sons entered the late war, Sanford and Alphe 
taking part in several engagements. 

For four years prior to his death Johnson A. 
Miller was an invalid. Three years before his 
decease he suffered a shock of paralysis, followed 



by others, until life sank into death in August, 
1885, when he was seventy-seven years of age. 
His estimable wife is still living in the town of 
Reading, and is now eighty-three years old. Of 
her children, George E. is the youngest. He 
was born at Reading, June 4, 1847, ^"d was ed- 
ucated in the common schools. With the ex- 
ception of two years spent in the town of Tyrone, 
he has always made his home in Reading. He 
has devoted his entire life to agricultural pur- 
suits, and by working industriouslj- at this voca- 
tion has acquired a valuable property, including 
eighty-three acres, all of which is cultivated and 
bears the best line of improvements in the way of 
buildings and machinery. 

In his political views Mr. Miller is a Republi- 
can. His first marriage united him with Miss 
Fidelia Hatfield, who departed this life in 187 1, 
leaving a daughter, Alice L, now the wife of 
William Clearwater. His marriage to Miss Car- 
rie Dalrymple was solemnized August 9, 1873. 
This lady was born in the village of Watkins, 
July 28, 1850, received a good education in the 
schools near her home, and is a well informed 
and intelligent lad}-. One child was born to bless 
her union, Fred E., who died March 30, 1S92, 
aged seven years. 

The father of Mrs. Miller was Dennis Dal- 
rymple, a native of the .state of New Jersey. He 
was reared on a farm and received good educa- 
tional advantages, becoming a well informed 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



man. Settling in Hector, Schuyler County, he 
there married Polly Stedge, and engaged in farm- 
ing for a number of years. Thence he moved to 
the village of Watkins, where he had charge of a 
sawmill at the mouth of Watkins Glen. Subse- 
quently he bought a farm of one hundred and 
forty acres near Beaver Dams, in the town of 
Dix, where he remained until his death, at the 
age of about forty-nine. In politics he was a Re- 
publican. His membership, religiously, was in 
the Methodist Church. His wife is living at 
Hlmira, N. Y., and is now (1895) in her seventy- 
eighth year. They were the parents of four sons 
and four daughters. Three of the sons, Abram, 
Alfred and George, were soldiers in the Union 
army during the late war, and George died at 
Murfreeshoro, Tenn., of disease contracted while 
in the service. 



gEORGE N. WAGER, a merchant of Al- 
pine, Schuyler County, was born in Tomp- 
kins County, N. Y., March 14, 1837, ^"'1 
is a son of Benjamin and Melinda (Date) Wager, 
both of whom are nati\es of the same county. 
Andrew Wager, the grandfather of our subject, 
was the son of another Andrew Wager, who was 
a pioneer of that county, coming from New Jer- 
sey in 1790, and purchasing a large tract of 
land, on which he lived and died. Benjamin 
Wager, who was born February 10, 1810, and 
died February 24, 1867, was quite prominent in 
the early history of Tompkins County. 

The boyhood days of our subject were spent on 
the home farm, assisting in its cultivation. He 
received a good common-school education, and at 
the age of nineteen commenced teaching in his 
own district, continuing this until 1861. May 9 of 
that year, at Enfield, N. Y., he wis united in 
marriage with Mary Marsh, a native of Nevvfield, 
and daughter of Woodward and Abigail (Chapel) 



Marsh, the latter a daughter of Joshua and Han- 
nah ( Forsythe) Chapel. Mrs. Wager is descend- 
ed from the Latimers, well known in the history 
of Connecticut. The Forsythe and Chapel fami- 
lies were identified with the early history of the 
Colonies. 

The year following his marriage our subject 
bought a farm in Schuyler County, consisting of 
one hundred and sixty acres, and after living- 
there one season moved to the village of Alpine, 
where he is now engaged in business. After re- 
maining here one year, however, he sold out, 
and in the fall of 1865 went to Michigan, which 
was then considered the Far West, but finding 
nothing satisfactory, he returned and purchased a 
tannery in Alpine. This he operated a short 
time, and then stUdout, purchased a store, and 
formed a partnership with William Mallor\-, un- 
der the firm name of Wager & Mallory. This 
partnership continued two years, when the store 
and stock were burned, thus dissolving the part- 
nership. In 1868 Mr. Wager built a hotel, which 
was the first of any importance erected in the 
village, and this he rail for three years as the 
Wager House. During this time he also jnit in 
a stock of goods and carried on a mercantile busi- 
ness in coiniection with the hotel. 

In 187 1 Mr. Wager built his present store build- 
ing, abandoning the hotel business, and contin- 
ued merchandising until 1S73, when he traded his 
store for a farm in the town of Montour, near 
Catharine. In the spring of that year he took up 
his residence on that farm and engaged in its cul- 
tivation for eight years, when he returned to the 
.store, which he was ctimpelled to take back, ex- 
changing his hotel property for a stock ot goods. 
Since that time his residence has been at Alpine, 
and he has been constantI\' engaged in business, 
carrying a complete line of general merchandise 
and conducting a large and satisfactory trade. 
He has manifested an active interest in pub- 
lic affairs, and was elected Superintendent of 
the Poor for .Schuyler County in 1866, serving 
three years. For one term he was also Justice of 
the Peace, but declined re-election. In 1888 he 
was elected Supervisor, was re-elected in 1889, 
and again in 1894, to serve for two years. For 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



371 



ten years he was Postmaster of this phice. In 
poHtics he has al\va\s been a Republican, and 
cast his first vote for Al)raham Lincohi. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Wager four children have 
been born, two sons and two daughters: Benja- 
min M., who is located on the old farm; Edith, 
who still makes her home with her parents; 
George E., who a.ssists in the store; and Ger- 
trude, at home. Mr. Wager has given his chil- 
dren good educational advantages. The younger 
daughter is still attending the academy, but both 
daughters have engaged in teaching, as well as 
the younger son. Mr. Wager is a brother of 
Mrs. Mary Fisher, the noted author, who com- 
menced her literary career when a girl of seven- 
teen, and who has since attained a fame through- 
out the entire country. She met her husband, 
William R. Fisher, while in Europe. He is a 
prominent lawyer of Philadelphia, and has a 
beautiful residence at Bryn Mawr, a suburb of 
Philadelphia. 




NENRY S. BONNELL is well known to the 
residents of Seneca County, as he was born 
on the farm where he now resides, four 
miles northwest of the village of \\'aterloo, Octo- 
ber 14, 1 83 1, His parents were Charles and De- 
anna (Dell) Bonnell, both of whom were born in 
] Dover County, N. J. " , 

The father of our subject was brought to this 
portion of the Empire State by his father, Henry 
Bonnell, when a lad of five \ears, in 1806. The 
grandfather located near where Henry S. is now 
living, and there resided for many years, event- 
ually removing to Wayne County, this state. 
About this time Charles attained his twentieth 
year, and, being given his time, worked out by 
the month, receiving at first $9. This was raised 
to $10 the second year, and the third year also 



.saw an increase of$i. He saved the greater part 
of his earnings, and a few years later went to 
Michigan and purchased a quarter-section of wild 
land. He .soon disposed of this, however, and in 
partnership with his brother became the owner of 
one hundred and fifty acres of land in the town of 
Galen, Wayne County, this state. This they 
divided equally, and on his share the father erect- 
ed a log house and barn. He then began the 
arduous task of cutting away the trees and plac- 
ing the land under cultivation. The place he aft- 
erward sold to his brother, and the propertj' is 
-Still in the hands of some of the Bonnell family. 

The maternal grandparents of our subject had 
friends living in Canada, and on one occasion, 
when going 'to visit them, crossed over the land 
which our subject now owns. The grandmother 
was greatly pleased with the locality, and on their 
way back they stopped and purchased it. The 
following spring they moved upon this new farm, 
and at that time tliere were very few hou.ses be- 
tween them and the little village of Waterloo. 
Our subject's mother inherited a portion of this 
farm, and later Charles Bonnell purchased a large 
amount of the property, owning at one time about 
six hundred acres. 

The parental family included five children, four 
of whom are now living. Rachel D. married Ed- 
mund Mitchell, and is now living in Ontario 
Count)-. Elizabeth became the wife of William C. 
Dutton; the family make their home in the town 
of Waterloo. Henry S., of this history, was the 
next-born. Phebe W. married Joseph Lynch, 
and on his death became the wife of Levi Lundy ; 
the>' are now living in the town of Galen, Wayne 
County, N. Y. Mary T. died when young. The 
father of this family was a Whig in early life, and 
a strong anti-slavery man, and cast his first Pres- 
idential vote for John Q. Adams. After the or- 
ganization of the Republican party he joined its 
ranks and was a loyal supporter of its candidates 
until his death, which occurred in 1879. In re- 
ligious belief he was a Quaker. 

The subject of this sketch was fairly well edu- 
cated, and passed his boyhood days on the home 
farm. He was married, March 26, i860, to Miss 
Elizabeth W. Thorn, who was born in Wayne 



372 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



County. Her parents were Isaac and Rebecca 
(Palmer; Thorn, well known and highly respect- 
ed residents of that locality. To Mr. and Mrs. 
Bonnell there were born six children, of whom 
Clara died in infancy; Mary T. married George 
Pletts, and at her decease left two children; Ellen 
C. married Dillwyn Barton, and they make their 
home on the old homestead; Stella May died at 
the age of .seventeen years; Dora E. became the 
wife of H. R. D. Mitchell, and is living in the 
town of Waterloo; and Charles C. is at home. 

Mr. Bonnell cast his first vote for Winfield 
Scott, and in 1856 supported Fremont. He has 
since been a firm adherent of Republican princi- 
ples. Although he has never desired to hold 
office, he has been frequently solicited to do so. 
He was reared by Quaker parents, and therefore 
clings to the faith of that sect. 




REV. J. WILFORD JACKS. There is no 
profession that brings with it greater re- 
sponsibilities than the ministry, and he who 
discharges its varied duties conscientiously and 
successfully is entitled to the esteem of his fellow- 
men. Such has been the fortunate experience of 
the subject of this sketch, who for twenty-three 
years has filled his present pastorate. Called to 
the Presbyterian Church of Romulus in the 
opening years of manhood, this was his first and 
it has been his only charge. His congregation 
consists of about two hundred and seventy mem- 
bers, who are active in good works, and have 
contributed largely to the religious progress of 
this village. 

Born in Batavia, N. Y., Rev. Mr. Jacks is the 
son of James C. and Josephine B. (Wilford) 
Jacks, also natives of Batavia. His grandfather, 
Samuel, was a son of Alexander Jacks, a mem- 
ber of an old Scotch family. The former was 
born in Londonderry, N. H., in 1792, and was 



left an orphan at an early age. During the War 
of 18 1 2 he took an active part, being in the navy. 
He aided in the capture of a British supply ship 
loaded with blankets and other articles for the 
soldiers in America. According to naval law, 
the cargo was sold and the money distributed 
among the sailors, in which way he secured his 
start in life. 

Alter having spent a year in the service, 
Grandfather Jacks returned to his New Hamp- 
shire home. Soon afterward he removed to 
Batavia, N. Y., where he purchased land now 
situated in the central part of the village. There 
he opened a blacksmith-shop, which he operated 
for a time. Later he purchased a tract of land, 
comprising about three hundred acres, and to 
that place he removed, spending his declining 
days in retirement there. He died in 1S66, at 
the age of seventy-four. His marriage united 
him with Miss Betsey, the daughter of Ephraim 
Husted, a native of New York. 

The education of our subject was gained in the 
district schools of the Home neighborhood and in 
the academy at Batavia, after which he carried on 
his studies in Hamilton College, graduating from 
that institution on completing the prescribed 
course. After completing his studies, he taught 
school for two )-ears in Lowville Academy and 
Whitestown Seminary, and then entered Auburn 
Theological Seminary, where he took the full 
course. On the completion of his theological 
course, in 1872, he accepted the pa.storate of the 
church at Romulus, where he was ordained to 
the ministr)', and where he has since remained. 
He has done effective work here, and is regarded 
as one of the ablest men in the community. His 
course in life, too, has been so consistent as to 
prove that his religion is not one of mere pro- 
fession, but that he is inspired in his work by 
the noblest of motives — love to God and to his 
fellow-men. 

While Rev. Mr. Jacks has never had any time 
for active participation in public affairs, he is, 
nevertheless, well informed regarding the issues 
of the age, and in political belief adheres to the 
policy of the Republican party. The family of 
which he is a member consists of five children, 



i 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



373 



the others beside himself being Mary E., wife of 
Rev. H. H. Kellogg, of Havana, Schuyler 
County; Julia W., wife of W. T. Bradley, a 
farmer by occupation; James C, Jr., who is en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits; and vS. Josephine, 
who is the wife of Frank L. Silliman. 

In addition to the relation he occupies in re- 
gard to the church at home, Rev. Mr. Jacks is 
stated Clerk of the Presbytery at Geneva, and 
permanent Clerk of the Synod of New York. He 
is a member of the Theta Delta Chi of the Psi 
Chapter, also of the Phi Beta Kappa, the scholar- 
ship society of the country. 






-^ »- 



-t.^t-^-i- 



(pTEPHEN F. SOULE, who is now living in 
?\ the town of Waterloo, Seneca County, isen- 
VjJ/ gaged in farming, making a specialty of 
raising a fine quality of cabbage. He is a native 
of this state, and was born in Albany County, 
November 12, 1821. His parents were Frederick 
and Mary (Hair) Soule, the former of whom was 
born in Albany County in the year 1795. He in 
turn was the son of George Soule, who, it is sup- 
posed, hailed from Connecticut. The family is a 
very old one in America, and is descended from 
a certain George Soule, ivho came over in the 
"Mayflower." Since that time there has been in 
each generation a son named after that gentle- 
man. 

Frederick Soule served as a soldier in the War 
of 1812. He was a life-long farmer, as was his 
father before him, and in all the relations of life 
was honored for his upright character. He 
trained our subject to a life of usefulness, giving 
him the opportunity of obtaining such an educa- 
tion as could be gleaned in the schools of the dis- 
trict. Stephen F. began to aid in the support of 
the famil3' when only fifteen years of age, work- 
ing out for other farmers at a small price. He 



gave his wages to his father, retaining just enough 
to supply himself with necessary clothing. The 
household included thirteen children, twelve of 
whom grew to mature years, and of this family 
six are now living. 

The subject of this sketch was married Novem- 
ber 8, 1845, when twenty-four years of age, to 
Miss Catherine A. Smith, then residing in Al- 
bany County, N. Y., but who was born June 27, 
1825, in the town of Baltimore, Greene Count}-, 
this state. Mr. Soule lived on rented land for 
about two years after his marriage, when he went 
to Wayne County, where he also cultivated rent- 
ed property. After residing there for four years 
he returned to Seneca County, and became the 
owner of a piece of land on which he erected a 
sawmill and established a lumber-yard, carrying 
on this business with foir success for a number of 
years. We next find him living on rented land 
in Ontario Count}-, but after a stay there of two 
years he again returned to this county and be- 
came the proprietor of the land which he now oc- 
cupies. He was not able to pay for the place at 
the time, but so ably did he manage his affairs 
that the debt was soon wiped out. At the time 
of purchase the farm included one hundred acres, 
but Mr. Soule afterward added a tract of seventy- 
five acres. He has improved the estate greatly 
since it came into his posses.sion, setting out shade 
and fruit trees and replacing the old buildings 
with structures of a more modern build and sub- 
stantial character. 

Mr Soule located upon this place in the spring 
of 1863, and in the fall of that }-ear he enlisted his 
services in Company C, Fiftieth Engineer Brig- 
ade, whose duty it was to build pontoon bridges. 
Often they were called upon to guard the same 
while the enemy was passing. Our subject aided 
in bridging the Chickahomin}- when it took .sev- 
enty boats, and at another point on the same 
river there were only three boats used. He re- 
mained in the service initil the close of the war, 
and was so fortunate as to be present at Appo- 
mattox Court House and witness the surrender of 
General Lee. He accompanied the troops to 
Washington and participated in the Grand Re- 
view before President Lincoln. 



374 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



On the discharge of our subject, in July, 1865, 
he returned home, being accompanied on the 
journey by his eldest .son, who served as a mem- 
ber of the same regiment and company. Mr. 
Soule made his home here for a few years and 
then removed to Geneva, Ontario County, where 
he was engaged in shipping farm produce for 
about twenty years, returning to Seneca Count}' 
in the year 1891. 

Of the seven children born to our subject and 
his wife, one son, Roscoe, died when two years 
of age; George D., the eldest of the household, 
a resident of the town of Waterloo, is married 
and has four children; Charles E. is married, has 
three children, and lives in the town of Waterloo; 
William E. is engaged as an engineer at Lansing, 
Mich.; Fred S., the next, is a resident of the 
town of Phelps, Ontario County; Mary, Mrs. 
W. B. Church, ofthistow^n, die! leaving a family 
of two children; Catherine, Mrs. Edgar vSmith, 
who is likewise deceased, was the mother of two 
children. 

Mr. Soule has been a life-long Democrat, having 
cast his first Presidential vote for James K. Polk. 
During his younger years he was actively inter- 
ested in public affairs, and served acceptabi)' as 
Assessor of Waterloo. His time, however, has 
been fully occupied in attending to his private af- 
fairs, and he very much prefers to let younger 
men hold office. He is a Grand Army man, be- 
longing to Swift Post No. 94, of Geneva, and 
has made it a point to be present at the brigade 
reunion which is held each vear. 






. BENEZER S. BARTLETT, a leading 

^ farmer of the town of Romulus, was born 

^ on the farm where he now resides, March 

25, 1835, and comes of good old Revolutionary 

stock, his grandfather, Haynes Bartletl, serving 



his country- faithfully in that great struggle which 
resulted so happily for the colonies. Since that 
period the United States have been the refuge for 
the friendless of all nations, and their growth in 
population, wealth and strength has been mar- 
velous indeed. The whole world is now being 
benefited by their abilit}' to return four-fold the fa- 
vors that have been shown them in the past. No 
country is doing so much for those who sit in dark- 
ness in other lands, and its missionaries have 
penetrated almost every nook and corner of the 
earth where man is found. Its wealth is being 
poured out like water for the benefit of the human 
race, and all this has been made possible b^' such 
brave and heroic men as Haynes Bartlett. The 
latter was of Welsh descent. His son, Ebenezer 
S. Bartlett, was a native of Chemung County, 
N. Y., born October 11, 1793, and was one year 
old when brought to Seneca Countj- from Orange 
County by his father. Here he grew to man- 
hood on the farm now owned bj- our subject and 
brother, Andrew J. The farm was first pur- 
chased by the grandfather, who, as already 
stated, came to the county in 1794, when it was 
but a wilderness, and erected a log house, in 
which he lived until times were more prosperous, 
when a larger and better building vi'as erected. 
He died here in 1841, and his remains were in- 
terred in the Baptist Cemetery. 

Ebenezer Bartlett, the father of our subject, 
grew to manhood on the old farm, and married 
Abigail Cooley, by whom he had six children, 
namely: Ruth C, Hannah, Martha, EnunaS., 
Andrew J. and Ebenezer S. The father was a 
man well known throughout Seneca County, and 
did much for its development. His death oc- 
curred November 26, 1859, and his wife died July 
I, 1877. Their remains now lie side bj- side in 
the Baptist Cemetery, where they await the great 
judgment day. 

The subject of this sketch, who is the youngest 
of the family, was reared to farm life, and in his 
youth attended the district schools, but finished 
his education in the academy at Ovid, where he 
spent five terms. At the age of twenty-one he 
began teaching during the winter months, and 
assisted in the farm work during the summer, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



375 



continuing in the former occupation for ten win- 
ters very successfulh-. The farm on which he 
resides, and which has always been his home, 
comprises one hundred acres of vahiable land, 
and is devoted to general farming and stock- 
raising. In politics Mr, Bartlett is a Democrat. 
In 1873-74 lis ^^'^^ Supervisor of his town; was 
Assessor three years, and has been Inspector of 
Elections a number of times. In 1890 he was 
elected School Commis.sioner, and served one 
term of three j-ears. For five )-ears he has been 
Treasurer of the Seneca County Patrons' Fire As- 
sociation; has also been Treasurer of the First 
Baptist Church Cemetery Association for twenty 
years, and Trustee of the Baptist Church fifteen 
years. He has shown himself an enterprising 
man, willing at all times to do all in his power 
for the public good. On the ist of October, 1861 , 
Mr. Bartlett was united in marriage with Miss 
Emma Clarkson. but thev have no children. 



Gt 



(^ 



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'-^^lll^ 



=0 



0IJX E. EMENS, of the firm of Emens & 
Son, is engaged in general merchandising in 
Fayette, Seneca County. He is a native of 
this county and was born in the town of Varick, 
August 25, 1857, ^o Enoch and Eliza (Van Riper) 
Emens. His father, who is the senior mem- 
ber of the above firm, is made mention of else- 
where in this volume. 

Our .subject grew to mature years on his parents' 
farm, one mile and a-half from the village of Fay- 
ette, where he attended .school in the home dis- 
trict. He made rapid progress in his studies, and 
is now a thoroughly informed and shrewd busi- 
ness man. Until his twenty-first year he re- 
mained at home, and then removed to the village 
and established a mercantile business in company 
with his cousin, Austin Emens, with whom he 
was as.sociated for three vears. He was enabled 



to engage in this enterprise with the means which 
his father furnished. Austin Emens died at the 
expiration of three years, when our subject pur- 
chased the interest of his heirs in the business 
and continued for six months alone. About that 
time his mother's brother, Peter H. Van Riper, 
bought a half-interest in the concern, and with 
his assistance the stock was increased to about 
$3,000 worth, or double what it had been. This 
gentleman was acquainted with this department of 
trade in all its details, and during the two Aears 
in which he was interested in the store the busi- 
ness was very materially increa.sed. 

In 1883 the father of our subject purchased the 
interest of Mr. Van Riper, and the stock of goods 
which the firm now carries is valued at from 
$7,000 to $9,coo. They occupy a large brick 
building, which has been enlarged to meet their 
present demands, and in addition to this they 
have put up a large storehouse, where their re- 
serve .stock is kept. They are very courteous in 
their treatment of customers and command the 
patronage of the best residents of the surrounding 
country'. 

Mr. Emens and Miss Emma B. Burroughs was 
married January 5, 1881. Mrs. Emens was born 
in the town of Varick, and was the daughter of 
William and Lucinda (Beary) Burroughs. To 
them have been born four children. Eaura B. 
was born in the village of Fayette; Grace E. 
was also born in that place, May 19, 1883; Wil- 
ford C. was born in the town of Varick, October 
I, 1 888; and M. Evel\n was born in the same 
town, December 20, 1893. 

Like his father before him, our subject is a 
stanch Republican, and on that ticket has been 
elected to various offices of honor and trust, 
among them being Clerk of the town of Varick 
for two years and Supervisor of the same town 
from 1886 to 1889; during the last year he was 
Chairman of the Board. He has always taken a 
great interest in ]iolitical matters and has been 
delegate to the various count)-, district and sena- 
torial conventions. During the administration of 
President Arilnir he was Postmaster of Fayette, 
and was succeeded in this oflice l>y his brother, 
P'red R. S. He is a prominent Mason, being a 



376 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



member of Fayette Lodge Xo. 539, and in this 
order he has passed nearly all the chairs, having 
been Senior Deacon, Senior Warden and Wor- 
shipful Master, holding the latter office two years. 
In 1889 Mr. Einens erected in this village a 
beautiful residence, which cost $2,000. It bears 
all the latest improvements and is furnished in a 
manner which indicates its occupants to be peo- 
ple of means and refined tastes. Three years 



later he purchased a farm of ninety-three acres 
on the west .shore of Cayuga Lake, which is de- 
voted mainly to stock-raising. 

In the year 1S92 Mr. Emens was nominated by 
the Republicans of this district for Representative 
in the General Assembly, but as there was a 
factional fight in the party, it was carried to the 
courts, and his name was not permitted to appear 
on the ballot. 





lOHN C. MORROW. 



\ 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



>79 




JOHN C. MORROW. 



(TOHN C. MORROW. We take pleasure in 

I presenting to the readers of this vohinie a 
G/ history in outline of the gentleman whose 
name appears above, and who was for years a 
proiniiient and nnich esteemed resident of the 
town of Tyrone, Schuyler County. He was a 
native of this town, and was born vSeptember 22, 
1855. His father was Josiah B. Morrow, whose 
birth occurred in this town August 29, 1824. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject bore 
the name of John Morrow, and he was born in 
Dutchess County, N. Y., and was of German 
ancestry. During his married life he moved to 
the town of Tyrone, where his son Josiah B. 
was reared. The latter was married here, De- 
cember 23, 1849, to Miss Mary W. Williams, 
whose birth took place in this town, June 3, 1832. 
Her father, Henry S. Williams, was a native of 
Herkimer County, and was born November 20, 
1795. Her mother, prior to her marriage Mar- 
garet Teeple, was a native of Wayne, vSteuben 
r'ounty, and was born February 19, 1803. 

Josiah B. Morrow .spent his entire life in the 
town of Tyrone, where he was activelx- engaged 
in farming tluring the greater part of his busi- 
ness career. During his later years, however, 
he lived retired, and his death occurred March 
10, 1895. He became the father of two children, 
of whom the elder, born Augn.st 30, 1853, died 
March i of the following year. 

The subject of this sketch was well educated, 

14 



and during his youth was thoroughly trained in 
farming duties. He made a decided .success of 
his calling, and at the time of his death was the 
owner of a large estate, comprising two himdred 
and fifty-two acres. Every acre of this was made 
use of, and both grain and animals rai.sed thereon 
were of good quality. He always resided here, 
and was one of the best known and highly es- 
teemed citizens in the town. 

The lady to whom Mr. Morrow was married 
in Altay, December 18, 1S77, was Miss Jennie 
F., daughter of James V. and Flora (Clark) Bige- 
lo-w, old residents of Altay, Ijut who are at pres- 
ent residing in Dundee. They became the par- 
ents of six children, of whom Mrs. Morrow was 
the fourth-born, her birth occurring in .\Ita\', 
December 7, 1858. She was there reared to 
womanhood, and received a very fair education. 
By her union with our subject she became the 
mother of three children, of whom Flora M. was 
born February 6, r88o: George B., February 8, 
1884; and Blanche W., September 29, 1892. 
The son was killed by lightning July 15, 1890, 
and three years later. November 7, the husband 
and father was taken from the home. He was a 
man of unswerving honesty, who.se word was as 
good as his bond, and the confidence of the en- 
tire community was his. 

Mr. Morrow, although aiding public improve- 
ments in every possible way, attended strict!}- to 
his own affairs, and prospered thereby. He was 



38o 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



a stanch Democrat in politics. In religious af- 
fairs his wife is a consistent member of the Pres- 
byterian Church. 



•*-H 



H-*- 



■*->^'M#^^*- 



0ANIEL DISINGER is the owner of one hun- 
dred and fourteen acres of productive farm- 
ing land, located on the west bank of Cayu- 
ga Lake. It lies in the town of Fayette and was 
the old homestead of his parents, John and Eliz- 
beth (Ernsberger) Disinger. On this place our 
subject was born October 9, 1823. 

John and Elizabeth Disinger were born in Penn- 
sylvania, and the father came to Seneca Count}' 
in 1804, when about twenty-three years of age, 
and before his marriage. Locating on a farm in 
the town of Fayette, he held the .same for about 
a year, and then sold it and invested his means 
in another piece of property, which he retained 
in his possession for five years. At the expiration 
of that time he traded it for the estate on which 
our subject is now residing. At that time it was 
all covered with timber, with the exception of 
four or five acres which had been cleared by the 
Indians, and about forty acres on the banks of 
the lake, which, it is presumed, had been settled 
upon by whites. 

The mother of our .subject came to this county 
when in her twenty-first year, and soon afterward 
was married to John Disinger. They started 
out in life in limited circumstances, but success 
attended their every effort, and at the time of his 
death the father of our subject left a tract of five 
hundred acres, which was divided among his 
children, of whom there were six in number. Of 
this family all grew to mature years and became 
heads of families, but only two are now living, 
Sanuiel and our subject. The father lived to be 
eighty-seven years of age, and his good wife 
passed her seventy-ninth birthday. They were 



members of the German Reformed Church, in 
which the former was Elder for a long term of 
years. In politics he voted for Democratic can- 
didates. 

The subject of this sketch .spent the first eight- 
een years of his life on the old home.stead, and 
when his parents moved to a tract south of Wa- 
terloo he accompanied them to their new home. 
He had been given a fair education, and when 
ready to establish a home of his own was married, 
October 17, 1844, to Miss Catherine Eshenour, 
who was born in the town of Fayette, near Sene- 
ca Lake, in 1824. Mr. Disinger moved to his 
present place, which is part of the old home 
farm, soon after his marriage, and here his wife 
died, February 28, 1850. They had one son, 
William, who was born Maj- 26, 1846, and who 
is now a well-to-do farmer in this town. July 3, 
1 85 1, Mr. Disinger married Miss Christiana 
Schroyer, of the town of Fayette, who was born 
here Januarj- 27, 1829. To them have been 
granted three children, namely: Peter E., John 
E. and Sidney F"., and all are well educated. 

In politics our subject upholds Democratic 
principles, and voted for James K. Polk when 
casting his first Presidential ballot. At one time 
Mr. Disinger possessed one of the largest and 
finest estates in the county. It comprised four 
hundred and fifty-one acres, one hundred and 
fourteen of which formed part of the old home- 
stead. For this he paid his father $1,350. As 
soon as his children were grown up and ready to 
start out in life, he gave each of them a portion of 
his property, so that now he has but a moderate 
acreage himself This he keeps under excellent 
tillage and reaps good returns for the care be- 
stowed upon it. He is a member of the Lutheran 
Church, of which he has been a warm supporter 
for many years. Mrs. Disinger is an acti\-e mem- 
ber of the Reformed Church. 

Grandfather Nicholas Disinger came to Seneca 
County about six years after his son John came, 
purchasing twenty acres of land, and here passed 
the remainder of his days. He lived to be eighty- 
four years of age, while his good wife reached 
the age of eighty-eight. He served as a soldier 
in the Revolutionarv War, as did also two of his 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



381 



brothers, William and John. They never re- 
turned, however, and the natural supposition is 
that they were killed in battle, but there is no 
certainty on this point. John Disinger was 
drafted into the War of 181 2, but considered it 
hisdutv to remain at home and hired a substitute. 



1^ 



JSi 



NERMON LEONARD, one of the old and 
honored citizens of the town of Ovid, Sen- 
eca County-, was born on the place where he 
now resides, March 7, 1832, his parents being 
Benjamin and Elizabeth (Wilson) Leonard, na- 
tives of New Jersey. His grandfather, also born 
in that state, came to this county and settled on 
No. 9, town of Ovid, but this tract he afterward 
sold. Later he removed to No. 4, where he 
purchased three hundred and twenty acres; but, 
having some difficulty about the clearness and 
correctness of the title, he was able to retain 
only one-half of this purchase. In the early 
history of the county his name is well known 
among those of the pioneers. He died in this 
town, highly respected by all. 

Benjamin Leonard, the father of our subject, 
was born September 7, 1793, and the mother May 
3, 1797. The father was still a child when his 
parentscame to this county. He was an earnest 
and active farmer, a man of affairs, and became 
the owner of a half-section of land. Anxious and 
willing to a.ssist his children to a start in life, 
he not only gave them good advice, but also 
substantial a.ssistance. In politics he was first a 
Whig, but later on allied him.self with the Re- 
publican party. Although a home-keeping and 
home-loving man, he was called by his friends 
and neighbors to fill some important local offices. 
In the community he stood well, and his judg- 
ment upon questions of general or especial in- 
terest was considered valuable. The good 



opinion of tho.se who knew him best was 
strengthened and reinforced by his loyal and con- 
sistent support of the Ovid Presbyterian Church. 

Ten children were included in the parental 
family. The first of these, Amanda, was born 
August 13, 1817, and died in Northville, Mich., 
February 22, 1889; she was the wife of Alex- 
ander S. Brooks. John W., the second .son, 
who was born April 15, 1819, is now a farmer 
living near Pontiac, Mich. Charles T., who 
was a farmer by occupation, was born March 
7, 1821, and died February 22, 1889. William, 
who was born Jul)' 7, 1823, and died Decem- 
ber 20, 1888, was well known among the farm- 
ers of the town of Ovid. Another son, Byron, 
who was born September 16, 1825, is a farmer 
in the town of Fayette. Sarah, who was born 
December 5, 1827, lived only until December 
22 of the following year. Cecelia, born October 
29, 1830, lived to the age of twenty-four years, 
dying Februarj' 22, 1854. Lyman, born August 
19, 1834, ^'^s early called away, dying March 
21, 1839. Sarah, the second daughter bearing 
that name, born April 5, 1837, is still living, 
and is the wife of Edward \'an Vleet, of Sen- 
eca County. 

Hermon, our subject, was born and reared on 
the farm which the industry, economy and per- 
severance of the parents had secured. In the 
district school he laid the foundations of that in- 
tellectual life and sturdy character which raised 
him above the ordinary level and made him a 
.strong figure in the connnunity. The teaching 
of the district school was broadened and deep- 
•ened by the better work of the acadenn- at 
Ovid. He continued at home until 1S65, when 
he went to Venango County, Pa., where he made 
extensive investments in oil, which resulted very 
.satisfactorily. 

In 1873 Mr. Leonard returned from Pennsyl- 
vania to this state, and made his home for four 
years in the city of Syracuse. He then went to 
Bradford, Pa., but in 1883 came back to the old 
homestead, where he has since remained, lie 
is .still interested in oil, having been a producer 
for the last twenty years, and has owned in that 
time several valuable plants, and hasjiul down a 



382 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



number of wells. At the present time he has 
nine wells under his control. His ample re- 
sources have enabled him to make tl;e farm on 
which he is passing his last days a delight to the 
eye. It is often said that his house and grounds 
are among the fitiest in the county. In the house 
he has hot and cold water, gas, and all the mod- 
em comforts and conveniences that contribute to 
the enjoyment of the passing days, and around 
it are one hundred and thirty-eight acres of fer- 
tile and highly cultivated farm land. This man- 
sion of ease is presided over by his wife, formerly 
Susan Petty, whom he married in Penn.sylvania 
in 1S69, and who has been to him a faithful and 
loving wife. They have one son, George H., 
who is now a law student. 

In politics Mr. Leonard has been a Republican, 
but at the present time he has little interest in 
the movements of the part>- leaders beyond the 
duty of voting. He has taken much interest, 
however, in the development of the order of 
Patrons of Hu.sbandry, and in social and indus- 
trial ways is enlisted for the good of the com- 
munitA-. 



»^-i 



^^^^. 



-»—-<- 



(TOHX MARSH ALL. There is little need to 
I portray the virtues or defend the memor>- of 
(Z) this gentleman, for he lives in the affection 
of his family and friends as a devoted husband, 
kind neighbor and public-spirited citizen. He 
departed this life on the 9th of April, 1S89, and 
his remains were followed to their last resting- 
place in Maple Grove Cemetery- by a large num- 
ber of those who had for many years been his 
sincere friends. During the many years in which 
he resided in the town of Fayette. Seneca County, 
he was a good citizen and a sympathetic friend. 
In the love of his estimable wife he found his 
cares lightened, and in the respect of his fellow- , 
citizens received the reward of his faithfulness. 1 



Mr. Marshall was bom in the town of Fayette, 
January 10, 1814, his parents being John and 
Christiana Marshall. They located in the town 
of Fayette, where the boyhood days of our sub- 
ject were passed, and where he attended the dis- 
trict school when his ser\-ices were not needed on 
the farm. His father posses.*ed very limited 
means, and the family were obliged to endure all 
the privations and inconveniences to which the 
early settlers were subjected. 

After attaining his majority our subject began 
working out for himself chopping cordwood, but 
continued to reside at home for many years, aid- 
ing in the support of his parents. His kiud and 
devoted mother died about 1S47, and two years 
thereafter, November ^-,0, 1849, he was married to 
Miss Lucinda Wuchter, who was bom in Lehigh 
County. Pa., August 9, 1822. Her parents were 
Henry and Sarah (Farber) Wuchter, and with 
them she came to New York when eight years of 
age. 

The spring following his marriage Mr. Mar- 
shall rented the home farm, and after spending 
one year in its further improvement, purchased 
fifty acres whereon his widow now lives. This 
tract was under partial cultivation at the time he 
took possession, but the care and labor which he 
expended upon it made it one of the most product- 
ive farms in the town. The father of Mrs. Mar- 
shall lived on an adjoining estate and after his de- 
cease our subject purchased a few acres of the 
heirs from time to time, until he owned nearly 
the entire two hundred acres. On both tracts he 
erected splendid buildings, which can be seen 
nearly a mile distant from Waterloo. He pos- 
sessed excellent business judgment, and all his 
transactions were characterized by fair and honest 
dealings. 

Mr. and Mrs. Marshall became the parents of 
three children, of whom Sarah J. was the eldest. 
Elizabeth married Bainbridge Marshall; and Car- 
rie, the youngest daughter, is at home. Mr. 
Marshall was a Republican in politics and a strong 
party man in national affairs, although in local 
politics he was independent, voting for the man 
whom he thought would best fulfill the duties of 
the office. He never desired to hold office, hav- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



383 



ing all that he could do to manage profitably his 
large estate. He was reared in the faith of the 
Bastist Church, but later joined the I'resbyterian 
Church, and was serving as Trustee and Deacon 
of his congregation at the time of his decease. In 
him the community had a faithful and unswerv- 
ing friend, ever alert to serve its best interests, 
and generous in his contributions to every move- 
ment tending toward the general advancement. 



(TOHN EMMETT. The men whom we are ac- 
I customed to call self-made are well represent- 
(*/ ed in the town of Fayette, Seneca County, 
where many of their number are car\'ing for them- 
selves monuments that will outla.st gilded shafts 
or marble statues. Among this class prominent 
mention belongs to the gentleman whose name 
appears at the opening of this sketch, and who 
is a highly esteemed and successful farmer of this 
town. He is also the owner of the Emmett 
Stone-quarry, which is located just one mile 
west of Waterloo. 

Mr. Emmett was born across the seas in Hal- 
ifax, Yorkshire, England, September 21, 1818. 
His parents were Richard and Isabella fAndrew) 
Emmett, who spent their entire lives in their na- 
tive land. The father was a contractor and build- 
er and also an expert stone-mason, and it was un- 
der his in.struction that John became acquainted 
with that bu.sine.ss. The latter passed his boy- 
hood days in Skipton, attending the grammar 
schools until a lad of sixteen years. He then 
began working for his father and remained in his 
employ until attaining his majority. During the 
years spent in learning his trade, he became an 
adept in the use of tools, and could carve almost 
anything out of stone. He then worked by the 
day, receiving good wages for his time. 

The marriage of Mr. Emmett with Miss Elea- 
nor Thorn p.son occurred in February, 1842. She 



was born in the village of Osmotherley, in the 
northern part of Yorkshire, I''ngland, and was 
fairly well educated in the common schools of her 
native place. Soon after their union the couple 
went to Liverpool, where Mr. Emmett was given 
a position as engineer at the Liverpool Dock 
Works, his duties there being to measure all the 
work done by contract. After spending eight 
years with this company he determined to .see 
something of the New World, where he was pos- 
itive he could improve his condition financially, 
and accordingly took passage with his family on 
a .sailing-vessel, and was eighteen days crossing 
the ocean. When this tedious journey ended 
they found themselves in New York City, whence 
they later removed to Allegany County, where 
Mr. Emmett took contracts on the Genesee Val- 
ley Canal. At the expiration of a year and a- 
half he took up his abode in the village of Cay- 
uga, where he was employed in building locks 
on the Cayuga & Seneca Canal. After two years 
spent in this employment we find him located in 
Seneca Falls, his removal there being occasioned 
by his agreement to build a dam for the contrac- 
tors hired by the state. He worked at this for 
three years, and in 1863 determined to abandon 
that industry. 

That year our subject purcha.sed a tract of one 
hundred acres of land in the town of Fayette, 
where he lived for seven years, and at the end of 
that time traded it for his present estate of eighty- 
four acres. On this place he is engaged in farm- 
ing and quarrying stone, it being rich in this ma- 
terial. He finds no difficulty in disposing of the 
product of his quarries, and ships stone all over 
the state. 

Mr. Emmett took out his naturalization papers 
in due time, and after becoming an American 
citizen cast his vote during the elections for Dem- 
ocratic candidates. He is interested in all public 
improvements and is never called upon in vain to 
assist in furthering beneficial measures. Both 
Mr. and Mrs. Emmett are members of the Epis- 
copal Church, in the faith of which they were 
reared. Socially he is a Mason, and belongs to 
Pocahontas Lodge, at Seneca Falls. 

Of the twelve children born to our subject and 



3*4 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORt). 



his wife, four were born in England. The eldest, 
Mary, married James Proudfoot, and on her death 
left two sons. Richard makes his home with our 
subject and gives his attention to carr\ing on the 
farm work, which vocation he seems particularly 
adapted for. Isabella became the wife of A. L. 
Childs, editor of the Waterloo Observer, and is 
the mother of two children. Eliza married Mich- 
ael Moore, a resident of Waterloo, and has one 
child. Oswold, who is foreman of the stone- 
cjuarry, is married and the father of two sons. 
Edgar is married and is living in Enderson, 
Iowa, where he is agent for the Chicago, Burling- 
ton & Quincy Railroad Company: he has three 
children. John Thompson makes his home in 
Waterloo, and is the father of two children. 
Harold J. is engaged in the drug business in Ba- 
tavia, N. Y. 




30HN RHODES, a retired farmer living in 
the village of Moreland, was born in vSussex 
County, N. J., July 15, 1824. and is third 
among four children compri.sing the family of 
John- and Mary (Shackelton) Rhodes. His fa- 
ther, who was born in Orange, Es.sex County, 
N. J., spent his early life in the locality where he 
was born. Prospered in business affairs, he en- 
gaged extensively in farming and milling, and 
owned and operated a grist and .sawmill and a 
di.stillery. About 1836 he came to Schuyler 
County, settling near Montour Falls, where he 
again engaged in farming and milling. His 
death occurred in Milljiort, Chenuuig County, in 
i860. 

At the age of twelve years our subject left 
home and engaged on the canal with his uncle, 
George Rhodes, who built and ran a boat on the 
Chemung & Erie Canal. He spent his sum- 
mers on the canal, going from local points to Al- 



bany and New York, and in winter worked at 
biKit-building and in sawmills. At the age of 
eighteen he concluded to learn the trade of a mill- 
wright, and engaged with JohnQuigley for three 
years, receiving $40, $50 and $60 per year, re- 
spectively. For .seven years he continued in the 
employ of Mr. Quigley . 

After his marriage Mr. Rhodes settled in Ha- 
vana, where he worked at his trade and helped 
build Cook's Mill at that place. He then re- 
moved to Millport and took a position as foreman 
of woodwork for the Chemung Canal Company, 
remaining there for two j'ears. For three years 
he then worked at the millwright's trade. Go- 
ing to Townsend, he purchased land and luiilt a 
sawmill, which he operated about ten years, run- 
ning the mill in the winter and working at his 
trade in the summer. In 1863 he bought ninety- 
six acres where he now resides, and on which is 
located the White Mill, one of the oldest mills in 
this vicinity and a landmark. In 1881 he built 
a sawmill, which has .'^ince been operated iu con- 
nection with the gristmill. That year, however, 
he sold the mill to his son, Charles B., who now 
owns and operates it. He does an extensive bus- 
iness in flour and in lumber, shipping the prod- 
ucts of the mills iu car lots to various places in 
the northern part of the state. In 1874 he erected 
the comfortable residence he now occupies. 

vSince the age of twenty-five Mr. Rhodes has 
been a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. He has in his possession the apron and 
regalia of his father, who was a Master Mason. 
In politics, while his father was a Democrat, he 
has always advocated Republican principles. 
Though he has no desire to hold official position, 
he has served his town as Road Commissioner 
and Pathmaster. When the Fall Brook Rail- 
road was built across his land, a .station was lo- 
cated here known as Moreland, and in 1889 a 
postoffice was established here, since which time 
he has served as Postmaster. He has also been 
station agent for several years, and is owner of the 
buildings in the vicinity. 

July 27, 1848, Mr. Rhodes married Mi.ss Lu- 
cretia Collins, daughter of Benjamin and Eliza 
Ann (Carpenter) Collins. She was born in 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



385 



Schuyler Count}-, and died here in 1858. By this 
union there were four children; Charles B., who 
operates the mill; John G., a farmer in the town 
ofDix; MaryE., at home; and Delia, who died 
in early womanhood. In 1859 Mr. Rhodes mar- 
ried Mahala Collins, sister of his first wife. One 
child blesses tlie union, Elmer F., who assists 
his brother Charles B. in the sawmill. 



gEORGE G. MONTGOMERY, the leading 
merchant of Odessa, and one of the most 
progressive and enterpri.sing citizens of 
Schuyler County, is a native of Ontario Coun- 
ty, N. Y., born May i, 1842, a son of John and 
Mary (Downes) Montgomery, both of whom are 
natives of Canada. His bojiiood and youth were 
spent in Gorham, N. Y., where lie received a 
good common-school education, which was sup- 
plemented by a course in the Genesee Wesleyan 
Seminary at Lima, N. Y, 

In 1876 Mr. Montgomery engaged in the 
drug and grocery business in Gorham, following 
this with good success for four years. After dis- 
posing of his .stock at that place he removed to 
Odessa, where he purchased the general stock of 
merchandise of DeWitt & Cooper. This he has 
enlarged and added to, and now has the largest 
and most complete stock of general merchandise 
in the village. 

In 1884, when General Arthur was President, 
Mr. Montgomery was appointed Postmaster of 
Odessa, and held the office for two years, when 
he was removed by President Cleveland. On the 
election of General Harrison he was again ap- 
pointed, and held the po.sition for more than four 
j'ears. The office is still in his store. In 1886 
he was elected Supervisor of his town, and was 
re-elected in 1887 and 1888, serving three con- 
secutive terms, with entire satisfaction to his con- 
stituents. In 1892 he was elected Countv Treas- 



urer, serving three years, and he has also held 
minor offices, the duties of which he discharged 
in an efl5cient manner. 

Mr. Montgomery was married, March 20, 1884, 
to Miss Minnie Hershey, a native of Ontario 
County, N. Y., and a daughter of Alvah and 
Henrietta (Harrington) Hershey, both of whom 
were natives of the same county. Mrs. Minnie 
Montgomery is deceased, and her remains are 
interred in the Gorham Cemetery. September 
20, 1893, Mr. Montgomery was again married, 
taking as his wife Miss Josephine Barnes, daugh- 
ter of Hawley and Catharine Barnes. They 
have no children, and reside in the village of 
Odessa, where they enjoy the esteem of all their 
acquaintances. 

In politics Mr. Montgomery has been a Repub- 
lican since attaining his majority, casting his 
finst presidential vote for General Grant. He is 
not a member of any church, but attends the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, with which his 
parents had long been connected. Mrs. Mont- 
gomer}' is a member of the Presbyterian Church. 
In 1885 he was initiated a member of Havana 
Lodge No. 56, I. O. O. F., in which he has 
filled nearly all the chairs, and is the present Past 
Vice- Grand. 



— .>5^r. 




i« — 



EARLOS H. SUTTON. The biography of 
the successful gentleman whose name intro- 
duces this sketch furnishes another instance 
of a poor boy who by industry and thrift has 
gained wealth and social position through his 
own unaided efforts. For many years one of the 
prominent agriculturists of Schuyler County, he 
has since 1890 lived retired from business of any 
kind in Reading Center. 

Our subject was born in this county and town, 
December 18, 1820. His parents, Nathaniel and 



386 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Phebe (Peck) Sutton, were among the old and 
honored residents of the county. The former 
was born in Lodi, Seneca County, and the lat- 
ter in Windham, Greene County, this state. The 
parents located in this town many years ago, and 
continued to reside here until their decease, the 
father passing away in 1832, and the mother in 
1885. 

Our subject was the only child born of his 
parents' union, and in the town of Reading he 
has always made his home. He remained with 
his parents until attaining the age of twenty- 
seven years, when he was married, Ma\- 3, 1848, 
to Miss Maria Eggleston. To them were born 
three children: Emma, who died when young in 



years; Mary L., now the wife of George M. Mc- 
Nemer; and Harry E., who married Hattie G. 
Phinney, and resides in Reading Center. There 
the wife and mother died Maj' 30, 1892, greatly 
mourned by a large circle of friends and relatives. 
The subject of this sketch is the proprietor of 
one of the finest tracts of land in the count}-, em- 
bracing two hundred and fifteen broad and well 
cultivated acres. His fellow-citizens regard him 
with respect and esteem, and his position in the 
community is one of prominence and importance, 
and he has done his part toward the upbuilding of 
Schuyler County. He is interested in educa- 
tional affairs, and his is certainly an example to 
emulate. 




1 




ORLO HORTON. 



■ 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



389 



i 



i 




0RLO HORTON. Few families have been 
better known or more closely identified with 
the early history of southern Seneca Count}- 
than that of the Hortons. In 181 1 Joel Horton, 
a native of Wolcott, New Haven County, Conn., 
sought a new home in what was then the "far 
West." Trumansburg, Tompkins County, was 
a thriving village, twenty years old, and it was 
there that he pitched his tent, and there he re- 
mained until 1815, when inducements were of- 
fered which took him three miles further north, 
into the embryo village of Covert (or Pratt's 
Corners, as it was then known), Seneca County. 

Mr. Horton purchased one hundred acres of 
wild land just on the outskirts of the settlement, 
and proceeded to cut, hew and carve from the 
virgin forest a home for himself and increasing 
family. His wife was Abigail Pratt, a sister of 
the late Col. Chauncey Pratt. These two men, 
Mr. Horton and Mr. Pratt, were associated in 
business for many years, and were more inti- 
mately connected with the affairs of the township 
than any other famil}-. On retiring from the farm 
that he had redeemed from the wilderness and 
caused to blo.ssom as the rose, ripe in years and 
well remunerated for his years of toil, Mr. Horton 
took up his residence again in Trumansburg, 
where, after living several years surrounded by 
all that makes declining years comfortable and 
happy, he died in 1872, at the age of ninety 
years, honored and respected by all who knew 
him. 

Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hor- 
ton, four sons and two daughters, one of whom. 



Orlo, the fourth son, is the subject of this sketch. 
He was born October 19, 1822. From his earliest 
youth he seemed to pos.sess a pa.ssion for books, 
not merely to read and lay aside, but to take in 
and digest their contents. Being far from strong, 
his studious ways and quiet habits brought much 
care and anxiety to his loving mother, and his fa- 
ther, always indulgent, de.spaired of ever making 
a farmer of him, so allowed the young lad to follow 
the bent of his inclination to go to .school sum- 
mer and winter, a rare thing for boys in those 
days. He soon exhausted the resources of the 
district school and was sent to Lima Seminary to 
prepare for college. He entered Union College 
in the Class of '46, and on the eve of graduation 
was called home by the serious illness of his fa- 
ther. He never returned, but finished his course 
of study at home, at such times as could be 
spared from the duties incident to the manage- 
ment of the estate. He entered at once upon a 
life of business activity, which was only termi- 
nated by death. Farming in summer, teaching 
the village .school in winter, he still found time to 
serve his native town as a public officer, serving 
as a Magistrate several years. He was at one 
time Principal of Trumansburg Academy, and 
also successfully managed .several select schools at 
different times. 

In earl\- manhood the heart of Mr. Horton was 
fired with martial ardor: lie made a close study of 
the art of war, not at fir.st with any thought of 
becoming a practical soldier, but prompted by his 
natural thirst for knowledge. The reorganiza- 
tion of the state militia, however, gave him an 



390 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



opportunity to develop his cherished idea, and he 
joined the Fiftieth Regiment and rose through 
successive grades to the rank of Major. From a 
mere student, ofmilitarj- tactics as theories, he be- 
came a thoroughly practical and enthusiastic sol- 
dier. It was no pla}- thing to him, and he would 
not allow it to be made one by individual, com- 
pany or regiment. He was a strict disciplinarian, 
a most excellent drill-u: aster, and, above all, scru- 
pulously just, thereby winning the esteem of his j 
superiors and the respect of his inferiors. IJoth- 
ing but failing health prevented his entering into 
active service in the Civil War, but he rendered 
valuable aid in raising and training troops. 

Personally Mr. Horton was slight and spare, 
but with an erect figure, easy and graceful in his 
movements. His keen sense of humor, and a 
spirit naturally somewhat contentious, often 
brought him in friendly contact with his neigh- 
bors and friends, and during the long winter j 
evenings at the old store on the ■Corners" many | 
were the battles of words fought to the bitter end ; 
over some subject, social, religious or public. Mr. 
Horton was always the champion of the right, ' 
ready at all time to defend his position with all his j 
power of si)eech and eloquence, of which he pos- ; 
ses.sednot a little: but in all controversies, impet- 
uous and vehement as might be his words, his op- 
ponents knew that his heart was right. He bore 
no malice, it was his manner. 

Mr. Horton was a consistent, practical Christian, 
a valued, honored and respected member of the 
Presbyterian Church nearly his whole life. In 
politics no one had to be told that he was a Re- 
publican. The first sentence he spoke on public 
affairs betrayed his political aflBliatious: now-a- 
days he would be called a thorough partisan. He 
was, but conscientiously — he could see "no good 
come out of Nazareth." 

In his domestic relations no man could be hap- 
pier than was Mr. Horton. Married January 25, 
1855, to Miss Mary S. Easton, of Amsterdam, 
N. Y., he found in her a helpmate indeed. Four 
children were the result of this union, one of 
whom died in infancy. Anna F., the wife of Dr. 
Frank E. Caldwell, of Brooklyn, died in 1S95. 
Joel and Julia still live on the homestead. Mrs. 



Horton and family always lived on the home farm, 
and when the father dietl. May 11. 1S90. his last 
wish was that those he left behind should never 
be separated. So passed away a good man: gen- 
erous, warm-hearted, impulsive, honorable, hon- 
est in every affair of life; more willing to give 
than to receive; loved to adulation by his family, 
re.spected b\- his neighbors, honored and trusted 
by business associates, his reward in the world to 
come is assured. 

Mrs. Horton still occupies the homestead, hav- 
ing with her her son Joel, who manages the farm 
and the extensive orchards and vineyards on the 
estate: and her surviving daughter, Julia, is also 
with her. Mrs. Horton is spending her declining 
years in doing good toothers; surrounded by lov- 
ing children and grandchildren she can look back- 
ward without a regret. She is a good steward of 
the trust reposed in her by her departed husband. 




S.\RDNER C. SEBRIXG, a prominent resi- 
dent and leading agriculturist of the town of 
Tyrone, Schuyler Comity, successfully man- 
ages one of the best farms in the state. This 
tract was formerly owned by his father, and since 
it came into our subject's possession he has placed 
the broad acres under advanced cultivation. It is 
desirably located, and is made to yield each year 
handsome returns for the labor expended upon it. 
Before entering upon the history of our subject, 
we deem it proper to speak of his father, John 
Sebring, who for many years was one of the sub 
stantial residents of this part of the county. He 
was a native of New Jersey, and was boni De- 
cember 23, 1 78 1. While yet a boy, his father, 
Abraham Sebring, removed to the Empire State, 
choosing Lodi, Seneca County, as his future 
home. He was there reared, and there also he 
married Hannah Jackson, who was bom Septem- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Vji 



ber 25. 1782. The young people continued to 
make their home in that county until 1810, the 
year in which they removed to the town of Ty- 
rone, this county. They were well-to-do fanners 
and were classed among the most progressive and 
enterprising people of Schuyler County. Here 
Mrs. Sebring died February 5, 1849, when sixty- 
seven years of age, while her hu.sband survived 
her five years, passing away February 6, 1854, 
aged seventy-four years. 

To John and Hannah Sebring there were born 
nine children, namely: Nancy, Sophia, Cyrus, 
Teresa, William H., John N., Gardner C, Dan- 
iel and Angeline. Daniel, who was an energetic 
farmer of this town, lived for several years on the 
old homestead, but is now deceased. For his full 
history we refer the reader to another page of this 
volume. 

The subject of this sketch was born in llietown 
of Tyrone November 24, 1819. He was reared 
to manhood on the old homestead, which has 
been his dwelling-place through life, and of which 
he now owns the north half. Mr. Sebring was 
married in Orange, February 27, 1861, to Miss 
Nancy M. Horn, who was Vjorn in Tyrone, March 
15, 1834. Her father, John Horn, was born in 
New Jersey Augu.st 8, 1797, and her mother, who 
bore the maiden name of Mary Kirkpatrick, was 
born April 21, 1803. They were married in Sen- 
eca County, after which they removed to Yates 
County and later settled in the town of Tyrone, 
Schuyler County, where Mr. Horn died in 1843. 
His wife survived him many years, pas.sing away 
in 1884, while residing in Dundee, Yates County. 
They were the parents of the following-named 
seven children: Elina, George, Caroline, Charles, 
Nancy M., Enos and Timothy. 

To our subject and his estimable wife has been 
granted a daughter, Minnie E., who was born, 
in Tyrone, Augu.st 7, 1862. She was here reared 
to womanhood, and June 9, 1886, was married to 
Newton Howell, of Reading, who was born July 
9, i860. They have one child, a .son, Leon 
Gardner, who was born December 3, 1888. 

Mr. Sebring is in no .sense of the word an 
office-seeker, although he takes an active interest 
in local affairs, doing all he can to benefit his 



community, and votes the People's party ticket. 
In religious matters he is a consistent member of 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which de- 
nomination his wife and daughter also belong. 



-♦ 



^^<v^5^^ 



--<«^ 



r[DWIN O. BOLYEN, one of the leading 
r3 lawyers of Schuyler County, is a resident of 
|_, W atkins, and is at present occupying the 
responsible position of District Attorney. Tliough 
young in years, he has already achieved note- 
worthy success at the Bar, and the future years 
will doubtless bring him iiicrea.sing honors in 
his profession. Having, with the exception of 
the period devoted to his studies, spent his entire 
life in this county, he has gained an extensive 
acquaintanceship among its residents, and is 
known as an able and rising attorney. 

Simeon C, father of our subject, was born in 
this county, whither his father had removed from 
Connecticut. While he resided upon a farm and 
engaged to some extent in its cultivation, much 
of his time was given to the carriage business. 
In the home where for many jears he had re- 
sided, he passed away in 1885. His wife, Paulina, 
who died December 10, 1894, was a daughter of 
Sidney Douglass, a descendant of Scotch ances- 
try and an early settler of Tompkins County, 
N. Y. 

Born in the town of Catharine, this county, 
January 13, 1863, Edwin O. Bolyen is .second 
among three children. His brother, Sidney D., 
is a merchant in the village of Alpine; his sister, 
Blanche, is the wife of Judson Pratt, who lives 
in the town of Catharine. Our subject passed 
his boyhood days on the old home jilace, and 
after the good old New York State fashion was 
put into the public schools as soon as his years 
permitted. His literary education was completed 
at Cook's Academy. In August, 1885, he en- 



392 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



tered the law office of Hon. O. P. Hurd, of Wat- 
kins, to begin the study of law, which he after- 
ward continued with Cole Brothers, in this village. 
Later he entered the Albany Law School, from 
which he was graduated May 23, 1889, and then 
returned to Watkins to engage in professional 
labors. 

Forming a partnership with Cole Brothers, 
luider the firm name of Cole, Cole & Bolyen, our 
subject embarked in the practice of law. Fre- 
mont Cole, at one time a leader of the Republican 
party in the southern tier of states, was a mem- 
ber of this firm, and when he was Speaker in the 
New York Assembly, Mr. Bolyen was his private 
secretary. In 1890 he was elected District At- 
torney, which position he has since filled. In the 
Republican party he is an active worker, and his 
defence of its principles is at all times able and 
thorough. For some time he has been a member 
of the Republican County Conunittee, and is now 
(1895) its Chairman. He is recognized as one of 
the able lawyers of the county and as an elo- 
quent and logical speaker before court and jury. 

Socially Mr. Bolyen is a Mason and belongs to 
Jefferson Lodge No. 332. He is also an Odd 
Fellow, and is Past Grand of Canandidasaga 
Lodge No. 196, and is identified with the Im- 
proved Order of Red Men No. 210. In religious 
connections he is a member of the Episcopal 
Church, and has served as one of the directors of 
the choir. 



•*^ 



>4fe-^ 



H-*- 



-j'^; 



^-^M^^ 



H-*- 



HI'NRY C. WRIGHT. This gentleman, who 
has always followed the occupation of a 
farmer, is now living on the old home farm, 
where he was born September i, 1845. It is lo- 
cated in the town of Fayette, one and one-half 
miles south of Canoga, on the Lake Road. 

The parents of our subject were Reuben S. and 



Emeline (Hope) Wright, the former of whom 
was born in New York City, and the latter near 
Barn.stable, Mass. Grandfather Wright, who also 
bore the Christian name of Reuben, was City 
Weigh-master in the metropolis, where he lived 
until his son was of age. They then moved 
further west in the state, and located in Cayuga 
County, where the grandfather made a purchase 
of land, on which he lived for about six years. 
He had a great longing to be near the water, 
and consequently sold this place and purchased 
the eighty-seven acres now owned by our subject. 
Here the grandfather passed the remaining years 
ofhis life. 

The parents were married in Cayuga County, 
whither Miss Hope had removed with her father 
and mother. Reuben S. then bought out the 
interest of his brothers and .sisters in the home 
place, and in 1859 he built an addition to his 
present dwelling, where Henry C, of this sketch, 
was born. The wife and mother died in 1854, at 
the age of thirty-eight years. She had a family 
of five children, of whom her eldest son, Charles, 
served through the entire period of the late war. 
He enlisted as a private in the navy, and was 
present at the capture of Ft. Henry. From 
time to time he rose in rank until he was placed 
in command of the United States ram ' 'Avenger, ' ' 
and participated in the siege of Yicksburg, when 
they ran the batteries. He was a well educated 
man, being engaged in teaching in Kentucky on 
the outbreak of the war. Fired witli the spirit of 
patriotism, lie enli.sted from that state, and after 
the establishment of peace he returned to the 
Blue Grass State, where he was married, after 
which he went to Missi.s.sippi and engaged in the 
lumber business. He died there about 1877, 
leaving two children, who now make their home 
in Michigan. James F. Wright, the second son, 
enlisted in the Civil War from Lockport, N. Y., 
at the first call of President Lincoln for volun- 
teers. He served until February 27, 1863, the 
date of his death at Stafford Court House, Va. 
Carrie S. married Samuel Hosier, and is living in 
Indianapolis, Ind. Our subject was the fourth 
in order of birth, and John C. died in infancy. 

The father of our subject came of Revolutionary 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI. RECORD. 



393 



Quaker stock, and throughout life he adhered 
firmly to the Quaker faith. In early life he was a 
Whig, and later joined the ranks of the Republi- 
cans. He was twice married, his second union, 
which occurred July 17, 1855, being with Miss 
Abigail Ogden, who was born in the town of 
Genoa, Cayuga County. One daughter was born 
of this union, Frances F., who became the wife 
of Charles \'. Crane, October 11, 1893. They 
reside in Romulus, this county. The father died 
August 2, 1875, and is buried in Ft. Hill Ceme- 
tery at Auburn, Cayuga Count\-. 

The subject of this sketch is a well educated 
gentleman, and completed his studies in the ,sem- 
iuarj- at Fulton, Oswego County, this state. Like 
his father, he is a Republican, and cast his first 
Presidential vote in 1868, when Grant was 
elected. 



•♦3>H®^p®Jt<<»- 



JOSIAH HOOD, who died October 3, 1895, 
bore the distinction of being one of the oldest 
residents of Seneca County. He spent his 
entire life in the town of Fayette, and for many 
years resided near Canoga, his birth occurring in 
that locality September 25, 1819. His parents 
were Samuel and Elizabeth (Gamber) Hood, the 
former of whom was born in Northumberland 
County, Pa. He was a soldier in the War of 
18 1 2, and was captured at Queenstown, but was 
soon exchanged. He was one of nine brothers 
who came to New York with their father, George 
Hood, about the year 1796. The latter had 
served as a soldier in the Revolutionary army and 
for his services was given a grant of land in what 
is now the town of Varick, in Seneca County. 
He lived to be eighty-two years of age, while 
Samuel Hood passed his eighty-sixth birthday 
before his decease in Fayette. 

The Hood family is of English extraction, some 
of its members coming to America in a very early 



day. The maternal grandfather of our subject 
was also an extensive land-owner and gave to each 
of his children an inheritance of one hundred 
acres of land. He, too, served as a Revolution- 
ary soldier. He was of German descent, and came 
to New York from Sherman's \'alley. Pa., where 
many of his family lived who were well-to-do. 

The subject of this sketch was the sixth in 
order of birth of a large family of children, twelve 
in lunnber, eleven of whom grew to maturity. 
One died at the age of three and one-half years. 
As did his brothers and sisters, Josiah grew up 
on the farm, and when his services were not in 
demand attended school. He remained at home 
for some time after his marriage, which event oc- 
curred March 25, 1843. The lady who became 
his wife was Sarah Pratz, who was born in the 
town of Fayette, this couuty, November 10, 1825. 
Her parents were Philip and Barbara (Kennel) 
Pratz, natives of Pennsylvania, who were of Ger- 
man descent. 

Several years after his marriage Mr. Hood re- 
moved to Seneca Falls, but after a year's resi- 
dence there returned to this county. He pur- 
chased two and one-half acres of land in the town 
of Fayette, and on this place lived for forty -one 
years, engaged in gardening, hunting and fi.sh- 
ing. In 1890, in company with his son Joseph, 
he purchased the estate of ninety-eight and one- 
half acres which was his home until recently. 
In the cultivation of this tract they united their 
energies and reaped splendid returns for the care 
bestowed upon it. Our subject was likewise as- 
sociated with his .son in a general store in Canoga. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hood became the parents of two 
children. Flora, who married Charles Yo.st, is 
living in Jonesville, Hillsdale County, Mich., and 
is the mother of four children. A sketch of Jo- 
.seph P. appears elsewhere in this work. 

In politics our subject was in early life a Whig, 
voting for Harrison in 1840, and subsequently 
became a stanch Republican. During his younger 
years he was verj' prominent in local affairs, and 
for many years was Inspector of Elections. On 
one occasion he was nominated Justice of the 
Peace, but owing to a strong Democratic plurality 
in the county was defeated. Socially he was an 



394 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Odd Fellow, and in former years took great inter- 
est in the workings of this fraternity. In his 
death the community lost an honest and upright 
citizen. 



-J-^^ 



'i<y-*- 



NENRY MILLS. The following biograph- 
ical sketch is a memorial offered as a lov'ing 
tribute by the daughter of Mr. Mills, and is 
intended to preserve a few facts for his family 
and friends that may be of interest in years to 
come. Mr. Mills, who died August 9, i860, 
was a good and useful citizen, whose life had not 
been spent in vain, which is attested by the fact 
that he was generally niourned. 

Mr. Mills was born near Morristown, N. J., 
March 21, 1791. He was of Quaker origin, and 
the son of Daniel and Jane (Siracock) Mills. The 
parents removed lo this state when Henry was 
a small boy, and located in the town of Water- 
loo, where he was reared on a farm and given a 
fair education in the school of that neighbor- 
hood. February 22, t8iS, he was united in 
marriage with Miss Elizabeth Murphy, of the 
town of Waterloo. She was also a native of 
New Jerse)-, and was born near Mt. Hope, Au- 
gust 21, 1798, her parents being Daniel and 
Lydia (Dell) Murphy. Her father, who was a 
native of Ireland and a man of fine education, 
taught school for many years, and was also em- 
ployed for some time as surveyor. Mrs. Lydia 
Murphy was of Quaker origin, and her father was 
a minister of that faith. Mrs. Mills, although 
having very limited opportunities for obtaining a 
good education, possessed an extraordinary mera- 
orj', and by reading good books became well in- 
formed. 

Soon after his marriage our subject located on 
the farm where his daughter. Miss Joanna, now 
lives. His first purchase consisted of fifty acres, 
from which he raised two hundred jiounds of 
maple sugar the first \ear, which was boiled in a 



baking kettle and a Jersey pot. As soon as it 
seemed advisable, he bought more land, until he 
was the ow^ner of .some one hundred and twenty 
acres, on which he erected a log house, with a 
fireplace built of rocks and chimney of sticks, 
held together by a mixture of mud. Soon after 
completing this convenience for housekeeping, 
Mr. Mills built a fire in it, and then went after 
another load of goods. During his absence the 
heat became so great that it caused the rocks to 
break, throwing pieces across the room. The 
family lived in this rude structure until 1829, 
when a frame house was erected in its place, 
which was known far and wide as the "red 
house," on account of its color. This dwelling 
still stands and is occupied. Later, in 1847, Mr. 
Mills built the house of cobblestones in which 
his daughter now lives. 

Besides the one hundred and twenty acres com- 
prising the homestead, our subject purchased 
lands elsewhere and owned one hundred and thir- 
t\-five and three-quarter acres in the town of 
Huron, Wayne County. In early life he was a 
Whig in politics and a strong anti-slavery man. 
However, on the formation of the Republican 
party, four years prior to his death, he joined 
its ranks and was a firm adherent of its princi- 
ples, although in no sense of the term an office- 
seeker. 

Our subject became the father of five children, 
of whom we make the following mention: Dan- 
iel, who was born August 25, 1819, was a well- 
to-do farmer. In 1882 he lost his eye.sight, and 
March 29, 1886, died, unmarried. He was a man of 
fine education, being one of the best read men in 
this locality. John M. was born August 16, 1821 ; 
he, too, became a farmer, and died July 15, 1884. 
Lydia Ann was born May i, 1827; she married 
Henry J. Serven, October 5, 1848, and had a 
family of four children ; her husband died No- 
vember 24, 1892. Mary was born April 21, 1830, 
and departed this life September 11, 1849, when 
in her nineteenth year. Joanna, who was born 
June 6, 1833, 's a well educated lady, complet- 
ing her schooling in the academy at Seneca Falls. 
Mr. Mills died August 9, i860, while his good 
wife, who survived him many years, passed away 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



395 



April 19, 18S8. The eldest daughter of Mrs. 
Sen-en, Emily, married Weslej' Bacon, and makes 
her home at Virgil, Cortland Count)-, N. Y. 
Anna Elizabeth Serven married John S. Kiune, 
and is a resident of the town of Romulus. Mary 
Ser\-en is now Mrs. Frank Hart, and makes her 
home in the town of Junius. John Coryell Ser- 
ven, who also makes his home in this town, is 
married and is the father of three children. 

When a girl of sixteen years, Mrs. Mills, the 
wife of our subject, earned the money with which 
to purchase a loom, and became not only an ex- 
pert weaver, but could do very fine spinning. 
She continued in this work at odd times through- 
out life, and when past eighty years of age wove 
a carpet which is now in use by her daughter 
Joanna. The latter is an intelligent business 
woman, and is the possessor of large landed in- 
terests. She gives her personal attention to the 
improvement of her property, and continues its 
management in such a way that it shows not the 
slightest deterioration. Mrs. Elizabeth A. (Van 
Buskirk ) Daley was a member of the family for 
many years. 



HON. CHARLES T. WILLIS is a man of 
much influence in his community, and is 
highly respected and regarded as a man of 
sound judgment in public affairs, as well as in 
matters relating to the farm. For man)- years he 
was one of the prominent merchants of T)rone, 
but in April, 1893, he disposed of his stock of 
goods and invested a portion of his capital in a 
fine estate. It is one of the very best in the 
town of Tyrone, Schuyler County, and contains 
three hundred acres. 

Mr. Willis was born in Waterloo, Seneca Coun- 
ty, February 7, 1841. His father, the late 
Charles P. Willis, was a native of England, 
whence he came when a young man to the 



United States. He was financially prospered in 
his undertakings, and for several years owned 
and operated a fiourmill and also a distillery in 
Dresden, Yates County, N. Y., in which locality 
he died, January 24, 1863. The lady to whom 
he was married, Caroline Deisher, was a native 
of Waterloo, this state, and was a most estimable 
lady, proving a true helpmate to him. Her death 
occurred in Tyrone early in the spring of 1890. 

The parental household included seven chil- 
dren, one son and six daughters. The subject 
of this sketch was quite young ft'heu his parents 
removed to Rushville, this state, thence to Dres- 
den, where Charles T. grew to man's estate and 
received a good education. He remained at 
home and assisted his father in his business en- 
terprises until the death of that worthy gentle- 
man, when he a.ssumed control of the milling 
business at Dresden, carrying this on until 1867. 
That year he came to Tyrone, this count)-, and 
purchased the flourmill erected by Eli Sunder- 
land. He put in several pieces of improved ma- 
chinery, and under his efiicient management 
the mill turned out fort)- barrels of flour per day. 
In connection with this industry, Mr. Willis also 
engaged in the mercantile trade at T)rone, and 
from February, 1886, until April, 1893, was the 
proprietor of a well stocked store of general mer- 
chandise. His trade was good, owing to his court- 
eous treatment of customers, and during that 
time he made a handsome sum of money. 

As stated above, our subject in the last-named 
year purcha.sed his three-huudred-acre farm. He 
I was married in Tyrone, November 4, 1868, to 
Miss Emma J. Williams, the daughter of An.sel 
Williams, of Tyrone. Mrs. Willis was born in 
this place, February 14, 1847, and by her union 
with our subject has become the mother of the 
following-named children: Ansel M., Carrie E., 
Ethel M., Maude I., Charles P., James Iv., Hu- 
bert R. and John W. 

Mr. Willis was elected to the Assembly in the 
fall of 1890, and while in that body served his 
con.stituents acceptably on various committees of 
importance. He is one of the Board of Managers 
of the New York State Reformatory at Elmira, 
to which position he was appointed by Governor 



396 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Morton, April 13, 1895. An active Republican 
in politics, he stands high in the councils and 
confidence of his part)-. He owes his success in 
life mainly to his own efforts, being practically a 
self-made man. He is not easily discouraged, is 
accustomed to think before he acts, therefore 
makes very few mistakes, and, not being afraid of 
work, does not get impatient waiting for results. 
Such a man exerts a good influence in his com- 
munity by his example, and he has the best wishes 
of his neighbors and friends for his complete suc- 
cess in life. 






(John O. FRANTZ. Through the energy 
I and enterprise of .such men as Mr. Frantz, 
Q) the town of Fayette, Seneca County, has 
won an enviable reputation as a farming com- 
munity. He is prominently identified with all 
worthy movements in the community, and is one 
of its most useful men. The property which he 
re.sides upon lies on the Old Reservation Road, 
and isjust two and a-half miles south of the vil- 
lage of Seneca Falls. 

Our subject is a native of this town, and was 
born in Bearytown, August 5, 1845. His par- 
ents were Lewis S. and Sarah A. (Hoster) 
Frantz, the former of whom was born near 
Canoga, also in the above town, January 6, 1820. 
The first of the family to locate in this section 
was Grandfather John Frantz, who made the 
journey hither from Pennsylvania, where nearly 
all of his ten children were born. Of this house- 
hold it is supposed the father of our subject was 
the first born after the family came to New York. 
The grandfather became the owner of a large 
tract of land, and in addition to its cultivation es- 
tablished and operated a large flouring, saw and 
carding-mill. He was a very enterprising and 
useful citizen and won prosperity. 



John Frantz departed this life when his son 
Lewis S. was a lad of eight or nine years, and 
his good wife kept the family together until they 
were old enough to embark in life for them- 
selves. They were all given such educations as 
could be obtained in the schools of the district, 
and without exception became good and useful 
members of the community. 

When seventeen years of age Lewis S. Frantz 
left home and was apprenticed to learn the trade 
of a harness-maker, his mother during this time 
keeping him in clothing. The second year he 
was given $24. in money by his employer, and the 
following 3'ear received a small increase. The 
fourth and last year, however, he was rewarded 
by the gift of $50 for his good services. Soon 
afterward he established himself in the mercantile 
business, carrying on a good trade for two )ears. 
This was prior to his marriage, and after that 
event he again confined his attention to working 
at his trade in Bearytown, and in this manner 
accumulated a considerable amount of monej-. 
He continued to be thus occupied until 185 1, 
when he disposed of his harness-shop and in- 
vested a part of his capital in one hundred acres 
of land. The property was only partially cleared, 
but Mr. Frantz went energetically to work build- 
ing fences, cutting down the timber, and erecting 
a good line of buildings. He found farming to 
be a very pleasant as well as lucrative business, 
and added more land to his farm, until he was 
the possessor of three hundred acres. For the 
remaining years of his life he followed the active 
and industrious life of a farmer and met with sub- 
stantial results. In his political views he sup- 
ported the Democratic party. His name was al- 
ways to be found at the head of the list when any 
worthy movement was on foot, but in no .sense of 
the word was he an ofiice-seeker. 

The parents of our subject were married in 
Auburn, Cayuga County, N. Y.,June 29, 1843. 
Mrs. Sarah A. Frantz, who was born December 
31, 1824, is a very intelligent lady, and is now 
living with our subject. She became the mother 
of three children, of whom Mary E. was born 
July 8, 1844. She married Warren E. Lerch, 
February 24, 1873, and to them were born two 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



?.91 



children, one of whom is now deceased. Mrs. 
Lerch departed thi.s life in .September, 1888, and 
her remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at 
Canoga. John O., of this liistory, was the sec- 
ond-born. Millanl F., three years his junior, 
was born October 31, 1848. He married Mi.ss 
Louisa Southwick, of Junius, and they are now 
living at Tobias, Saline County, Neb., where he 
is a very prominent citizen, and for two years 
served as a member of the Legislature. He 
owns a section of land in that state, and carries 
on farming on an extensive scale. To liimself 
and wife there have been granted two sons: 
Arthur H., born February 12, 1876; and Lewis 
S. , born November 25, 1877. 

The subject of this sketch was six years of age 
when his parents moved upon the estate which 
he now occupies. Here he grew to manhood, 
and after attending the district school for a time 
carried on his studies in the academy at Seneca 
Falls. In 1866 he completed a business course 
in the Commercial School at Oswego, N. Y., and 
then returned to the old homestead, remaining 
until the winter of 1869, when he went to the 
World's Fair City. There he was emploj-ed un- 
til May of the following year, when we find him 
at work for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
Railroad Company, running between North Mc- 
Gregor Iowa, and Minneapolis, Minn. In Sep- 
tember of that year he returned home and fol- 
lowed farming until December, 1873. That year 
he again went to the Prairie State, this time his 
destination being Aurora. After traveling about 
through Illinois and Michigan until the spring 
of 1874, he went further west, to Exeter, Neb., 
where he formed a partnership with W. H. Tay- 
lor, and for a year carried on a good business as 
general merchant. On the dissolution of the 
partnership Mr. Frantz went to Friendville, that 
state, and opened up another store for the .sale 
of general merchandi.se. In 1877, however, he 
took in as his partner a Mr. Brickley, and the>- 
continued together until 18S7, when the junior 
member of the firm retired from the business. 
The next year our subject sold out the stock, 
and in 1889 returned to New York. 

The marriage of Mr. Frantz and Miss Lila J. 

'5 



Sanders, of Friendville, Neb., was .solemnized on 
ChrLstmas Day, 1877. She was the daughter of 
John and Mary (Stickney) Sanders, and was 
born in Waukegan, 111., March 31, 1858, To 
our .subject and his wife four children have been 
granted, namely: Nona, born in Nebraska, April 
30, 1879; J. Lewis, September 8, 1880; Ruth L., 
August 8, 1S82; and Leon C, born June 10, 

1895- 

Mr. Frantz is a Democrat in politics, and cast 
his first Presidential vote in 1868, at which time 
he was a member of a well known glee club. He 
received the nomination of his party in Nebraska 
for the State Assembly, but as the district was 
overwhelmingly Republican, he was defeated, 
although he ran far ahead of his ticket. 



^ 



ii — + — Y 



(Tames MADISON graves has made his 
I way to the front among the energetic farmers 
G/ of Seneca County, and therefore enjoys the 
reputation not only of being a progressive and 
substantial agriculturist, but an intelligent man, 
who keeps himself thoroughly posted on public 
affairs. His estate is located in the town of Jun- 
ius, and everything about it indicates to the be- 
holder that it is owned by an experienced and 
competent farmer. 

Our subject is a native of this state, and was 
born in Cortland Counts-, April 15, 1823, to John 
and Laura (Southwell) Graves. The father, 
whose birth occurred in tiie state of Vermont, 
came to this portion of New York when a boy, 
and was engaged in chopping wood in the town 
of Tyre. There lie lived for many years, and 
there he met and married Miss Southwell, who 
was a native of that town. After their marriage 
the young couple returned to Cortland County, 
but after a few years came back to Seneca Coun- 
ty, bringing with them our subject, who wa.s 



398 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



then a small boy. Their possessions in this town 
at first included but fifteen acres, but after dis- 
posing of this tract a few years later, they pur- 
chased a tract of eighty acres, located in the town 
of Junius. 

The parental family included six children, all 
of whom lived to mature years, and five are liv- 
ing at the present time. As a boy James M. had 
to work very hard during the summer season, 
but in the winter was given the privilege of at- 
tending the district school. He lived at home 
for two years after reaching his raajorit}-, when 1 
he was married. May i8, 1847, to Miss EHzabeth 
A. Goodwin, of the town of Tyre. She was the 
daughter of Charles and Martha (Anderson) 
Goodwin, born April 20, 1823, and was the 
youngest member of a family of ten children, 
three of whom still survive. The entire house- 
hold was inclined to be verj' studious, and the 
children took advantage of ever>- opportunity 
given them for attending school and carrying on 
their studies. 

At the time of his marriage our subject pur- 
chased a tract of fifty acres from his father, but, 
being in limited circumstances, was enabled to 
pay for only a part of it. The place was entirely 
unimproved, .so that he was obliged to expend 
much time and labor on the land before it was 
productive. He erected thereon the necessary 
buildings and with his family resided there for 
some time. Receiving a good offer for his place, 
he accepted it, and with the means thus obtained 
invested in fifty-six acres, which he also cleared 
and placed under cultivation, making this place 
his home until about 1875. In that year he sold 
the tract and became the owner of his present 
estate, which comprises seventy-six acres of 
splendid farming land. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Graves there were born three 
children. Adda C. is at home. Jennie L. com- 
pleted her education in the schools of Waterloo, 
and when only fourteen years of age pa.ssed a 
rigid examination and was awarded a teacher's 
certificate. Her parents prevented her from ob- 
taining a school, however, as they considered her 
too young to shoulder this responsibility. When 
in her nineteenth year she was married to John 



F. Long, and became the mother of one child, 
Bessie, who was born November 15, 1887. 
They live in the town of Junius. Julia, our sub- 
ject's youngest daughter, was a bright little girl, 
and died when nine years of age. 

The father of our subject was in early life a 
Whig in politics, but later joined the ranks of the 
Republican party. James Madison cast his first 
Presidential vote for Henry Clay, in 1844, and, 
like his honored father, became a Republican on 
the formation of the party. Although at various 
times solicited to hold office, he has always firm- 
ly refused to do so, as his ambition does not lie 
in that direction. He is a member of the Baptist 
Church, and is a Deacon in his' congregation. 

The mother of Mrs. Graves was a great Bible 
student and read the Good Book through four- 
teen times. Mrs. Graves herself is thoroughly 
posted in the Scriptures and has read from Gen- 
esis to Revelations seven times. 



@_ 



(S) 



.{.4.^.4..5..5.4..5.^.^.4-r++++ 



r^ETER WEAVER, who is well known to the 
L/ older residents of Seneca County, has made 
p!) his home in the town of Waterloo for many 
years. Farming has been the chief occupation 
of his life, and in this calling he has met with 
good results, so that he is now in comfortable cir- 
cumstances. He was born in the town of Frank- 
fort, Herkimer County, this state, February 14, 
1820, his parents being Peter and Charity (Sits) 
Weaver, the former also a native of Herkimer 
County, and the latter a native of Montgomery 

County. 

The great-grandfather of our subject was one 
of three brothers who crossed the Atlantic to- 
gether. They landed at Plymouth, where their 
names were recorded, and afterward located 
where the citv of New York now stands, and on 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



399 



this site engaged in farming. Grandfather Jacob 
Weaver eventually went to Herkimer County, 
where he spent his daj-s in cultivating the soil, 
and died in the town of Frankfort, where our 
subject was born. He fought as a soldier in the 
Revolutionary War. His .son, Peter Weaver, 
also remained in that place until his decease, 
which event occurred in 1872. Although eighty- 
two years old at this time, he was very active, 
transacting all his own business, and, with the ex- 
ception of being a little deaf, was in the posses- 
sion of all his faculties. His death was occasioned 
by injuries which he received by a street car 
running against him while in Utica, whither he 
had gone on business. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood in 
Herkimer County, and, the country round about 
being new and for the most part unsettled, he had 
to work very hard in aiding his father to place 
his tract under cultivation. Consequenth- he was 
permitted to attend school only a few months in 
each year, but, as might be expected, he made the 
very best of these opportunities. When eighteen 
years of age he began to do for himself working 
out by the month. He was a thoroughly reliable 
and honest workman, and although paid the 
highest wages given any person in the county, 
only received $10.50 per month. He was careful 
and economical, and from this meager salary laid 
by sufficient money to soon enable him to en- 
gage in farming on his own account. 

When nearly twenty-four years of age, Sep- 
tember 14, 1843, Mr. Weaver and Miss Delana 
Rema were united in marriage. This worthy 
couple have lived together for over a half-century, 
and in 1893 celebrated their golden wedding. 
On that occasion the clergyman who married 
them, Elder Lewis Chase, was present, besides 
.scores of their relatives and friends, all of whom 
remembered them in an appropriate manner. 

Mr. Weaver continued to work out by the 
month for two years after his marriage, and then 
purchased seventy acres of land, a part of the 
old homestead on which he was born. He added 
to the tract from time to time until he owned 
some one hundred and twenty acres, under the 
fiue.st slate of culti\ation. When the properly 



was sold it brought $12,000, and in addition to 
it Mr. Weaver received $200 for other real estate 
which he owned in that vicinity. 

In 1870 we find Mr. Weaver a re.sident of 
Seneca County, where he purchased a farm, for 
which he paid the sum of $14,000. He lived on 
this tract for six years, and in 1876 sold out at 
an increa.se of $6,000, investing in the one hun- 
dred and sixty-Four acres where he is now living. 
This he has improved with substantial build- 
ings, and his home here is one oi the pleasautest 
in the count3\ In addition to this tract our sub- 

[ ject owns a house and lot in Waterloo, on Center 

I Street. 

During the war Mr. Weaver offered his serv- 
ices in defence of his country's flag twice, but on 
each occasion was rejected on account of his age. 
In early life he was a Whig, and voted for 
William Henry Harrison, in 1844 supported 

I James K. Polk, and in 1856 voted for James C. 
Fremont. Since that time, however, he has ad- 
hered to the principles of the Democratic party, 
feeling that he has had just cause to change his 
views. Religiously he has been identified with 

' the Methodist Protestant Church for the past 

' fifty-five years. His wife has also been con- 
nected with this denomination for a long period, 
both becoming members before their marriage. 
Mr. Weaver has been Class-Leader for more than 
thirty years, and with one exception has been a 
delegate to the Annual Conference for twenty- 
eight years, and has represented his congregation 
in the General Conference on three occasions. 
He first went to Pitt.sburg, on the second occasion 
to Princeton, 111., and the third to Baltimore, 
where the union of the North and South branches 
was effected. He has always been an intere.sted 
worker in the Sunday-school, and in fact is 
prominent in every department of church work. 
At this writing Mr. Weaver is seventy-five years 
of age, and when visited by the writer he was 
found in the field, walking and following the 
]ilow. 

Simon P. Weaver, who is the elilesl of our 
subject's children, is living in the town of 
Frankfort, Herkimer County, N. V.; he is mar- 
ried, and the father of three children. George is 



400 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



a prominent lawj^er engaged in practice in Rome, 
N. Y.; he, too, is married, and has four children. 
Lewis F. is a physician carrj-ing on a lucrative 
practice in SjTacuse; he has one son. Izora 
married Charles Caldwell, and is living in Wa- 
terloo; she is the mother of two sons. Emma D. 
is the wife of Peter Shuster, of Seneca Falls; 
their household consists of two sons. 




(lOSEPH H. SNIFFEN. The name of this 
I citizen of Seneca Countj- is well known, for 
Q) he has been successfully engaged in the ar- 
duous duties of a general agriculturist in this lo- 
cality for many years and was formerly one of the 
most extensive land-owners in this portion of the 
state. His possessions at one time aggregated 
six hundred and twenty acres of some of the best 
and most productive land in Xew York. The 
greater portion of this he has given away to his 
children, as they started out in life. He is now 
living retired from active business, and enjoys to 
the full the peace and comfort which his earlier 
years of industry have made possible. 

Born in Putnam County, N. Y., November 13, 
1808, our subject is a son of John and a grandson 
of Joseph Sniffen. He was the eldest of twelve 
children born to the union of John and Asenath 
(Hopkins) Sniffen, the others being Sarah, Su- 
san, Jane, Harriet, Nancy, Harry, George, Jeffer- 
son, Samuel, and two that died in infancy. Of 
this family only three are now living, namely: 
Joseph H.; George, who makes his home in the 
town of Covert; and Jefferson, al-so a resident of 
this town. 

When ready to establish a home of his own our 
subject was married, in 1842, to Miss Emma 
Booron. To them were born six children, namely: 
Celia, now deceased; Helen, Mrs. James S. Scott; 
Louisa, deceased; John; Marion and Carrie, the 
latter of whom is deceased. 



Joseph H. was in his third j'ear at the time of 
his parents' removal to this county, in the j-ear 
181 1. His father at once located in the town of 
Covert, where he purchased a tract of sixt}- acres. 
He lived on this property during the remainder 
of his life, dj-ing when in his seventy-sixth year. 
There his son, our subject, grew to mature years, 
and when eighteen years old he went to Ketters 
Ferry, where he obtained work at building canal- 
boats, following this occupation for about twenty 
3'ears. At the expiration of this time he aban- 
doned it in order to engage in farming, his first 
venture at this vocation being on a fort\- acre tract 
which he purchased at Ketters Ferry. There he 
lived until 1854, when he took possession of this 
propertj', and to sa}- that he was successful would 
not convej- to the reader the prosperity which 
was his, for he kept adding to his estate until at 
one time he was the owner of a large tract, com- 
prising over six hundred acres. 

To the operation of his farm our subject gave 
his personal attention, and when his children were 
grown he divided the greater portion of it among 
them, only retaining a small acreage for his own 
use. His home is a ver\- pleasant one, and he is 
considered one of the best informed men of the 
county. He is a stanch supporter of the Repub- 
lican party, but has always been too bu.sy with his 
own affairs to give much time to politics. Too 
much praise cannot be accorded him for the way 
in which he built up his farming interests, and it 
is the wi.sh of all that he may live to see many 
more years pass. 



,1X. 



^ 



L*7- 



^ 



gHARLES B. BURTLESS, a dairyman at 
Mount Farm, in the town of Seneca Falls, is 
the proprietor of a splendid tract of land, well 
suited to this business, on the Mount Road. He 
was born in the town of Seneca Falls, Christmas 
Day, 1844, to William and Mary (Petty) Burtless. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



401 



The father, who was born near Trenton, N. J., 
in 1795, came to this county with his father, 
John Burtless, when a lad of seven \ears. Thej- 
were among the first to locate in this community, 
and here the grandfather took up a section of 
land three miles southeast of the village of Seneca 
Falls, on which he passed the remaining years of 
his life. On a portion of this estate, his son, 
William Burtless, also lived and died. The fam- 
ily of which he was a member included ten chil- 
dren, and of these he was the .second-born. 
When the family came to this county they were 
very poor in this world's goods, but at the time 
of his death the grandfather was well-to do. He 
had made an attempt to locate in the town of 
Fayette, but was compelled to abandon his claim 
on account of the threats of the rougher element 
of settlers. 

Mary Petty was born in New Jersey in 1801. 
She was brought by her parents to this county 
when six months old, and upon attaining mature 
years .she was married to William Burtless. 
Their family included eight sons and one daugh- 
ter, all of whon; lived to reach maturity, and of 
whom Charles B. was the voungest. William, who 
served three years as a soldier in the Civil War, 
is now living in Midland City, Mich., where he 
is engaged in farming. Dod.son makes his home 
in southeastern Kansas. Martin E. is a resident 
of Cayuga County, this state. Phebe married 
William Schwartz, and their home is in Bay Cit}-, 
Mich. Nehemiah died in White Willow County, 
Neb. John Wesley is engaged in business at Au- 
burn, N. Y. Henry was wounded in the seven- 
days fight in front of Richmond during the late 
war, and, falling into the hands of the enemy, was 
never heard from again. He was a member of 
Berdan's Sharpshooters of New Jersey. Mahlon 
was also a Union soldier, and soon after his dis- 
charge died from the effects of injuries received 
in the service. The father of this family died in 
1870, and his wife in 1878. The former was a 
Whig in early life and later became a strong Ab- 
olitionist, doing all he could to advance the inter- 
ests of the cause. In 1856 he joined the ranks of 
the Republicans, and through the remainder of 
his life voted for its candidates. He was a de- 



voted member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, 
and in order that he might be free to express his 
views on the slavery (jucstion, he helped to build 
the first Wesleyan Methodist Church in Seneca 
Falls. 

Charles B. Burtless is fairly well educated, ac- 
quiring his knowledge of books in the district 
schools near his home. He was married, March 
18, 1868, to Miss Lelia E., daughter of John and 
Mary (Sisson) Alleman, and a native of the town 
of Waterloo, this county. Soon after his union 
our subject went to Omaha, Neb., near which 
place he purchased a tract of five hundred and 
twenty acres of land, on which he lived for seven 
years. He paid $7 per acre for this land, and when 
ready to dispo.se of it accepted the offer made him 
of eighteen mules and horses, with several sets 
of harness. He then began taking contracts for 
grading railroads in Nebraska, and the first year 
had a sufficient sum of money to buy two hundred 
and twenty acres of land in the Platte \'alley . That 
year proved to be one in which the grasshoppers 
played a very prominent part, and Mr. Burtless 
was so thoroughly disgusted with his adventures, 
that he sold out for just what he could get and 
very wisely returned to Seneca County, arriving 
with only $20 in money. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Burtless there have been born 
ten children, all of whom are living and at home 
with their parents. In politics he is a Repub- 
lican, but is not interested to any great extent in 
public affairs. 



•»>K®^B®J+^« 



0ANIEL SEBRING, whose .sketch now 
claims our attention, has passed from the 
stage of life, but his memory is dear to his 
surviving friends, and a history of vSchuyler 
County would be incomplete without a notice of 
the principal events in his life. The father of 
our subject was John vSebring, whose birth oc- 



4o2 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, 



curred in New Jersey, December 23, 1781. When 
a boy he came to this state with his father, Abra- 
liam, who at once took up his location in Lodi, 
Seneca County. After attaining mature years 
the father was married to Miss Hannah Jackson, 
who was born September 25, 1782. They con- 
tinued to live in the above place until the year 
1 8 10, when they came to Schuyler County and 
made their home in the town of Tyrone. The 
father was a life-long farmer, and was very suc- 
cessful in tilling the soil. He lived until July 6, 
1854, passing away in the seventy- fourth year of 
his age. His good wife, however, died in July, 
1849, aged sixty-seven years. They were mar- 
ried November 8, 1804, and became the parents 
of nine children, of whom our subject was the 
eighth-born and the youngest son. 

Daniel Sebring was born May 18, 1822, on the 
old home farm, on which he resided all his life. 
He was married in Tyrone, April 23, 1854, to 
Seneth Smith, who was born in that place. May 
22, 1829. Her parents were George and Marilla 
(McConnell) Smith, the former born January 27, 
1792, and the latter January 16, 1800. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Smith there were born ten children, 
namely: Daniel, Herman, Zillah, Phebe, Ly- 
man, .Seneth, George, Sarah, Martha and Mary, 
the two latter twins. 

After our subject's marriage he settled on a 
part of his father's farm, which he cultivated in 
a most profitable manner until called from the 
scenes of earth, June 21,1 895 • His wife had died 
about two years before this, passing away Octo- 
ber ID, 1893. They were both highl_\- regarded 
in this community, and at the time of their de- 
mise there was universal mourning. 

Mr. and Mrs. Sebring had one son, Frank, 
born April 9, 1855. He was given a good edu- 
cation in the schools of Schuyler County, and has 
always remained at home. He was married at 
Sonora, Steuben County, this stale, July 11. 
18S9, to Miss Hattie Lane, who was born in that 
county in September, 1859. Her i>arents were 
Hamilton and Teresa (Tompkins) Lane, both of 
whom are now deceased. Mrs. Hattie Sebring 
(liecl April 11, 1890. Frank Sebring is a stanch 
Republican in politics, although he takes no 



part in local aflFairs other than to cast his vote 
during elections. He is a member of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, with Vvhich denomination 
his honored parents were also connected. 



■*->< 



<<-*■ 



4c->^^','I«bSc<-*- 



r^ATHAN S. DENMARK, proprietor of a 
\l gristmill and two sawmills at Alpine, was born 
1/3 in Cheuumg County, N. Y., November 22, 
1837, and is a son of Joshua and Cornelia (Smith) 
Denmark. His grandfather, C. C. Denmark, a 
native of Holland, emigrated to America and lo- 
cated in Bradford County, Pa., where he married 
Mary Jay, a relative of John Jay, and later re- 
moved to Chemung County, but late in life re- 
turned to Pennsylvania, where he died in 1864. 
His wife died the next year. They were the 
parents of five sons and six daughters, Joshua 
Denmark, the father of our subject, being seventh 
in order of birth. In early life he engaged in 
farming, but later learned the carpenter's trade, 
which occupation he followed the remainder of 
his life. He married Cornelia Smith in Chemung 
County, and sixteen years later, in 1853, remo\'ed 
to Bradford County, Pa., his death occurring in 
Canton, that state, in 1885. He was a member 
of the Chri.stian Church, in which he was a very 
earnest worker and wliicli he served as Elder for 
many years, and was al.so Sunday-school Super- 
intendent. His wife is identified with the same 
church. 

The boyhood of onr subject was spent in his na- 
tive county until fifteen >ears of age, when his 
father removed to Canton, Pa. His education 
was received in the conunon schools of his native 
county and also of Canton, and after he was 
twenty-one years of age he attended the high 
school at Canton for a .short time. With his fa- 
ther he learned the carpenter's trade, but on ar- 
riving at his majorit\- he commenced work on a 



■% 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



403 



farm. December 9, 1859, he was married to 
Kmily Palmer, of Union, Tioga County, Pa., who 
was a native of that place and a daughter of Na- 
than and Matilda (Griffin) Palmer. Her father 
was an historical character in Bradford County, to 
which county he was taken when an infant of one 
year, and there he grew to manhood. In his 
boyhood deer were plentiful in Bradford Coun- 
ty, and in one season he killed seventy-one deer. 
He was always quite prominent, holding many 
official positions, and died in 1885. After his 
marriage our subject engaged in farming for three 
years, but in response to the fir.st call for volun- 
teers to defend the Union he presented himself, 
but as the company was full he was not accepted. 
In 1862, however, he enlisted in Company C, One 
Hundred and Thirty-second Pennsylvania In- 
fantrj', and with his regiment proceeded to the 
front. He was in the battles of Fredericksburg, 
Antietam and Chancellorsville, besides minor en- 
gagements. His term of service having expired, 
he was mustered out. May 24, 1863, and re-enlisted 
February 24, 1864, in Company K, Fiftieth New 
York Engineers, and with his company was en- 
gaged in the building of bridges and fortifications 
almost continually until the close of the war. He 
was mustered out at Elmira, N. Y., June 29, 
1865. In all of the numerous engagements and 
skirmishes in which he was engaged he was fort- 
unate in escaping unharmed. 

After the close of the war Mr. Denmark re- 
moved with his family to Tioga County, Pa., to 
a farm of one hundred and four acres, which he 
had purchased before hostilities commenced, and 
where he remained two years. In 1867 he re- 
moved to Canton, Pa., and for about ten j'ears 
engaged in business, .still retaining the farm, 
however. Three years after the removal to Can- 
ton Mrs. Denmark died, and October 4, 1870, 
Mr. Denmark married Miss Eunice Sellard, a na- 
tive of Bradford County, and a daughter of Enoch 
and Clarissa (King) Sellard. 

In 1876 Mr. Denmark .sold his business in Can- 
ton and also his farm, and removed to Elmira, 
N. Y., and took charge of the United States Ho- 
tel for two years. He then moved back to Tioga 
County, Pa., and engaged in the mercantile busi- 



ness for two years, when he moved to Newfield, 
Tompkins County, N. Y., and engaged in farm- 
ing for eight years. At the expiration of that 
time he purcha.sed a sawmill and .some timber- 
land, and gave his entire attention to the milling 
and lumber business for four years. In October, 
1892, he moved to Alpine and bought the saw- 
mill and gri.stmill known as the Mix Mill, built 
by brothers of that name in 1851. 

Mr. Denmark has always been a strong Re- 
publican, voting twice for Abraham Lincoln, the 
last time while on the battlefield. While in Can- 
ton he .served as Supervisor of his ward and as 
Councilman, and has also held minor offices. 
Both Mr. and Mrs. Denmark are members of the 
Presbyterian Church. He is also a member of 
Gregg's Post, G. A. R., of Newfield, and has 
been a Master Mason for years, holding member- 
ship with King Hiram Lodge at Newfield. He 
is likewi.se a member of the Knights of Pythias, 
and the Subordinate Lodge and Encampment of 
the Odd Fellows. 



.,>S+^. 




:<«— 



cJEORGE WASHINGTON WILLIAMSON. 
_ In the towu of Covert, Seneca County, re- 
^jl sides one of the be.st known men of this sec- 
tion, as he has made his home here since a lad of 
eight years. He has now reached the age of 
eighty-one, and occupies a position which is most 
gratifying. When young in years he learned 
the trade of a carpenter, and has worked at this, 
off and on, for a half-century, but now, however, 
his advanced years exempt him Ironi labor of 
any kind. His success in life has been such that 
he is enabled to pass the remainder of his years 
in peace and comfort. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Sussex 
County, N. J., November iS, 1814, his parents 
being Abraham and Elizabeth Williamson, who 



404 



I'ORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



reared a family of eight children, six sons and 
two daughters. George \V. received a very 
meager education in the .schools of that period, 
which did not compare very fa\orabIy with the 
modern temples of learning. 

Mr. Williamson's marriage united him with 
Miss Desire Wixom, a very intelligent lady, who 
proved a helpmate indeed. They were granted a 
family of eight children, of whom Harriet was 
the eldest. The others in the order of their birth 
were Elizabeth, Rachel, Ann, George, Frederick, 
Julia and Hause. 

George W. was about eight years of age when 
he was brought to this county by his parents, and 
therefore remembers very little of life spent else- 
where. His parents at once located in the town 
of Covert, where George W. was reared. When 
a lad of fifteen he began to make his own wa},- in 
the world, as his father was in limited circnm- 
-stances. His first employment was on neighbor- 
ing farms, working by the month, and, as he 
gave his employers perfect .satisfaction, was thus 
engaged for eleven years, afterward learning the 
carpenter's trade. 

Mr. Williamson is regarded as one of the old 
landmarks of this .section, and is esteemed alike 
by young and old. During his earlier years he 
was very active in politics, and still continues to 
vote the Democratic ticket. As one of the old 
residents of the countv, who has done much to- 
ward its development, we take pleasure in pub- 
lishing his sketch among the representative citi- 
zens of the countv. 



->•-»" — ♦>*^®^ 



^>4<»- 



-« f- 



"YLER H. ABBEY. In the death of this 
gentleman, March 22, 1895, the village of 
Watkins lo.st an old and honored citizen. 
Starting in life with nothing but his own talents 
and upright character to help him, he achieved 
success in business, in reputation, and in that 



which he valued above all else — the respect and 
confidence of his fellow-men. He was a man of 
culture and was most broad and liberal-minded. 
Unselfish, uncompromising where principles were 
concerned, sincere and progressive, his death de- 
prived the community of one who had Ijeen an 
important factor in its growth and development. 

The subject of this memorial was born in Mar- 
bletown, Ulster County, N. Y., May 12, 1815, 
being a son of David Abbey, a native of Windham 
County, Coini. The history of his boyhood is 
briefly told. His primary education was obtained 
in Sliokan, Ulster County, N. Y., and afterward 
he attended the Geneva Lycetnn, which was one 
of the noted schools of that period. He took a 
classical course, and also studied higher mathe- 
matics. After leaving school he taught about 
three years, and then became a clerk in his uncle's 
business establishment in Rondout, Ulster County. 
In 1845 he removed from that place to Tyrone, 
where he engaged in general merchandising for 
himself 

In the spring of 1848 Mr. Abbey came to Wat- 
kins, where he embarked in bu.siness, continuing in 
the .same until his decease. In 1882 the firm 
title was changed to T. H. Abbey & Co., con- 
tinuing thus until 1891, when his son Fred G., 
who was one of the partners, died, and Albert T 
Abbey took active charge of the business. As a 
business man, he was energetic, progressive and 
always apace with the times. The qualitj' of his 
stock (^for he never carried any goods save the 
be.st), and the honesty that he observed in every 
transaction, no matter how small, won for him 
the confidence of the people, and for years he car- 
ried on a very large trade, not only with the peo- 
ple of the village, but also with the farmers of the 
surrounding country. 

The married life of Mr. Abbey was most happy, 
for his wife was a lady possessing all the attributes 
of noble womanhood, and by her .sympathy, amia- 
ble dispo.sition and encouragement, she aided him 
in every enterprise he undertook. Julia Ann 
Whitney, as Mrs. Abbey was known in maiden- 
hood, was born in Seneca Castle, Ontario County, 
N. Y., in 181 7. vShe was the daughter of Otis 
Whitney, who in 1792 removed with his father 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



405 



from Coiiwny, Mass., to Seneca Castle, about six 
miles west of Geneva, where lie died at the age 
of iiinety-iiiiie. The longevit\- of the Whitney 
family is further shown by the fact that an 
uncle of Mrs. Abbey, who lived in Illinois, at- 
tained the great age of one hundred years. The 
Whitney family is one of the oldest in this sec- 
tion, as is also the Abbey famil\-, the latter tracing 
their lineage to John Abbe (as the name was then 
spelled), who was one of the Pilgrim Fathers and 
came over in the historic " Mayflower." 

At Seneca Castle, May 12, 1841, T.\ ler H. 
Abbey and Miss Julia A. Whitney were united in 
marriage. They began housekee]Mng at Roiid- 
out, Ulster County, but later removed to Tyrone, 
this county. Subsequently they went to Big 
Stream, now known as Glenora.and in i,S48 settled 
in Watkins, where they continued to reside until 
death. Throughout all the period of their resi- 
dence here they were the leading meniVjers of the 
First Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Abbey 
was Elder. The consistency of their lives was 
in the utmost harmony with the religion they 
professed, and they imitated the example of their 
Master, in that they went about doing good. 
They are survived by five children, namely: Nor- 
man W., Harvey S., Albert T. and Julia A., of 
Watkins, and Rev. Edward W., of Hamilton, 
Ohio, who is recognized as an able and influential 
minister of the Presbyterian Church. Two others, 
Hayden W. and Frederick G., are deceased. 
A strong friend of the cause of education, Mr. 
Abbey was School Commissioner for the town be- 
fore the county was formed, and in after years 
acted as sole Trustee for the .schools of the village 
of Watkins until the organizing of the Union 
School, when he was one of the members of the 
board. In politics he was a Whig, and on the 
organization of the Republican party became a 
strong supporter of its principles. 

On the 12th of May, i8gi, Mr. and Mrs. Abbey 
celebrated their golden wedding, on which ha])py 
occasion they were the recipients of congratula- 
tions from hosts of devoted friends. For fift\- 
years they had walked life's pathway side by side, 
sharing their joys and dividing their .sorrows by 
mutual sympathy, and as theirs had been a happy 



union on earth, so in death they were not divided. 
They passed away within twenty-seven hours of 
each other, and those who knew their devotion 
could not but rejoice that they were not long 
Separated, but soon met on eternity's fair shore. 
They died, the wife March 20. at 10 P. M., and 
the husband March 22, 1895, in the morning, at 
their home in Watkins, the victims of pneumo- 
nia and bronchitis. The funeral, which was held 
at their home, was conducted bv Rev. L. F. Ruf, 
assisted by two former pastors of the Presbyterian 
Church, Rev. G. D. Meigs and Rev. F. S. Howe, 
also by Rev. H. H. Kellogg, of Havana, and Rev. 
Dr. Cowles, of Elmira. The three sons, Harvey 
S., Albert T., Rev. E. W., and a grandson, 
Frank H., acted as pall-bearers for Mrs, Abbey. 
They were laid to rest side by side in Glen wood, 
to await the triumphant resurrection of the dead 
in the Lord. 



r\ETER MARSHALL. This name is borne 
LX by one of the most honored residents of Sen- 
[S) eca Count}-, who is now living retired in the 
town of Fayette. He was born in this town, 
April 25, 1816, and is in turn the son of John 
and Christiana (Koch) Marshall, the father born 
in the town of Juniata, Perry County, Pa., in the 
year 1782. He there married our subject's 
mother, who was likewise a native of that county. 
The parents of Peter Marshall came to New 
York in 18 12, just a short time prior to the out- 
break of the war of that period. They purchased 
a farm near Buffalo, but that locality being in a 
very turbulent condition, owing to the com- 
mencement of the war, they sold their pos.sessions 
and came to Seneca County the same year. 
They at once settled in what is now the town of 
Fayette, and .spent the rest of their lives in farm- 
ing. One .son, William, was born to them in 
Pennsylvania, and he accompanied them to their 



4o6 



PORTRAIT AND BlOGRAPHICAIv RECORD. 



new home. The family afterward numbered 
nine children, all of whom grew to mature years, 
and five became heads of families. 

Notwithstanding the fact that John Marshall 
fled to Seneca County to escape going to the war, 
he was drafted into the service, but, not wishing 
to enlist, was obliged to hire a substitute. Not 
long after our subject's parents came to this state, 
they were joined by his father, also John Mar.sh- 
all, together with several of his brothers and 
si.sters. His farming ventures in this county 
proved successful, and although the father came 
here a poor man, he was well-to-do at the time of 
his decease. In politics he was first a Whig, 
but after the formation of the Republican party 
joined its ranks. Religiously he was a consist- 
ent member of the Baptist Church, and contrib- 
uted very liberally of his means toward the 
building of the First Baptist Church in Waterloo. 
He was a member of the committee which erected 
this .structure, and afterward was elected Trustee 
f)f the congregation. 

Our subject passed the first sixteen years of his 
life on the old homestead, during which time he 
gained a very fair education. He then went to 
Waterloo, where it was his intention to learn the 
trade of a tailor. Accordingly he apprenticed 
himself to one of the best workmen in that place, 
working for one man for two and a-half years, 
and receiving as compen.sation for his services 
his board and clothing. When pronounced thor- 
oughly competent to start out for himself, he be- 
gan as a journeyman, and for eight or ten years 
traveled about through this and other counties. 
He then formed a partnership with another gen- 
tleman, and they continued to operate together 
for another decade. 

Peter Marshall was married, October 29, 1841, 
to Miss Sophia Lee Bear, who was born in Wa- 
terloo. Her parents were Lancelot and Elizabeth 
(Schott) Bear, respected residents of that com- 
munity. After clo.sing out his tailor-shop Mr. 
Marshall engaged in business as a general mer- 
chant at Waterloo, and for three years conducted 
a lucrative trade. At the expiration of that 
time he disposed of his stock of goods and invest- 
ed his capital in a farm in the town of Seneca Falls, 



which consisted of eighty -seven acres, and on 
which he lived seven years. After this he rented 
property for a few years, and then again trying 
his luck as a property-owner, purchased the tract 
of one hundred acres on which he is now living. 
Although being compelled to go in debt to some 
extent, he was industrious, and soon had it clear 
of all incumbrance. It is a well improved place 
and is regarded as one of the pleasantest homes 
in the county. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Marshall there have been 
born ten children, five sons and five daughters. 
Webster Lee, the eldest, is engaged in farming in 
Michigan: Mary A. married George Laub, and 
they make their home in the town of Seneca 
Falls; Bainbridge is spoken of in full on another 
page in this volume; Horatio A. is a prominent 
lawyer of Waterloo: Anna F. is engaged in 
teaching in this county; Charles H. is a black- 
smith, and lives near Beary town; Emma and Ella 
are also teachers, the latter holding a position in 
the high school at Syracuse: William S. is en- 
gaged as a coal merchant in Rochester; Jessie B. 
was graduated from the .schools of Syracuse and 
is now teaching in Stillwater, Mich. 

Mr. Marshall cast his first Presidential vote in 
1840, for "Old Tippecanoe." He is now, how- 
ever, an adherent of Republican principles, and 
by his friends and fellow-townsmen was elected 
Overseer of the Poor. He is a member of the 
Presbj-terian Church, as is also his wife and sev- 
eral of his sons and daughters. 



•.»--i^-i-^-«— H 



WIGHT M. KKLLOGG. Probably in the 
history of the representative business enter- 
jirises of Seneca Falls, there can be found 
few more .striking examples of what may be ac- 
compli.shed by industry, good judgment and per- 
severance, even when unaccompanied by capi- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



407 



tal, than is afforded by the business career of the 
subject of this notice. He is proprietor of the 
livery and sales stable conducted under his name 
and connected with the Hoag Hou.se. The 
building occupied by him for his business is two 
stories in height, and commodious in dimensions, 
being 48x150 feet, and furnished with all the 
necessary equipments for the prosecution of the 
work. A full line of buggies, carriages, coupes, 
hacks and light vehicles is kept in stock, and 
in the stables can be accommodated from seventy- 
five to one hundred horses, besides which there is 
ample room for hitching and a transient business. 
The office is fitted up tastily and in an elegant 
manner, for his own comfort and that of his cus- 
tomers. 

A native of Cayuga County, this state, Mr. 
Kellogg was born in the town of Moravia, Janu- 
ar\- 18, 1852. His father, David W., was born 
in the town of Locke, Cayuga Count}', in which 
county he was reared. For many years, how- 
ever, he has lived in the town of Venice, that 
county. His life occupation has been that of an 
agriculturist, and in his declining years he is 
surrounded by every comfort which can enhance 
the happiness of existence. His wife bore the 
maiden name of Anna E. Sherman, and was 
born in the town of Venice, where she died July 
I, 1893, at the age of sixty-five. 

The parental family consisted of four sons and 
three daughters, Dwight M. being the second in 
order of birth. He passed the days of boyhood 
and youth in the villages of Moravia and \'enice, 
laying the foundation of his education in the dis- 
trict schools, and later attending the Moravia 
Acadeni}-. At the age of twenty-one he started 
out in the world for himself, and his first enter- 
prise was the starting of a livery stable in Mo- 
ravia. After one year, however, he removed 
from that place to Port Byron, the same county, 
where he was engaged in the livery business and 
in buying and selling horses. 

In the spring of 1885 Mr. Kellogg came to 
Seneca Falls, and here he has since resided. At 
once after locating in this village he opened a 
livery and sales stable, which he carried on until 
July 30, 1890. On that day he met with the 



misfortune of having his stable burned down, 
though he succeeded in saving the horses. Sub- 
sequently he removed to his present quarters. 
His long years of experience in this line of busi- 
ness have made him thoroughly acquainted with 
every department of the work, and he is consid- 
ered one of the best judges of horses in the en- 
tire county. 

The marriage of Mr. Kellogg occurred March 
22, 1877, and united him with Miss Ida G. Mat- 
toon, of Moravia, N. Y., daughter of Harry Mat- 
toon, of that place. She is a lady of noble char- 
acter and kindness of heart, and is highly es- 
teemed in tlie social circles of Seneca Falls. They 
have one son, Burt R. Mr. Kellogg is recog- 
nized as one of the energetic business men of the 
community, and is earning a well merited pros- 
perity. For many years he has been a Mason, 
and in politics has always been a stanch Repub- 
lican. Mrs. Kellogg is a member of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church. 



(TOSEPH D. ALLEMAX. After an active 
I career as a farmer, miller and stockjiaiser, 
(2/ the subject of this article retired from busi- 
ness pursuits, and for some years he has resided 
in Waterloo, where the twilight of his life is be- 
ing quietly and happily passed. Seneca County 
has been his life-long home, and he has a large 
acquaintance among the people of this section, 
having a ho.st of friends among tho.se in whose 
a.s.sociation he has lived and labored for many 
years. 

Born in the town of Fayette, January 30, 18 14, 
Jcseph D. is a son of Jacob Alleman, who was 
born at Harri.slaurg, Pa., in 1782, and died in 
Seneca County April 6, 1835, at the age of fifty- 
three years. Agriculture was his chosen occupa- 
tion, and to it he devoted his active life. In the 
Lutheran Church, of which he wa.*- a faithful 



4o8 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



member, he served as an Elder for many years. 
He was of direct German descent, his father, 
Stephen Allemaii, having emigrated from Ger- 
many in company with a brother, Conrad, at the 
age of sixteen, and settled in Pennsylvania. 

The mother of our subject, Nancy Ann, was 
born near Shippensburg, Pa., and was a daugh- 
ter of Conrad Newstetter, who was of German 
lineage, and died in Stark Coiuity, Ohio. She 
passed away in Waterloo in 1869, being then in 
the eighty-third year of her age. In boyhood 
years our subject attended the district schools of 
Fayette during the winter months, while in the 
summer seasons he assisted in the cultivation of 
the home farm. On attaining his majority he 
began in the world for himself, and, forming a 
partnership with his brother, Conrad J., under 
the firm name of C.J. & J. D. AUeman, he became 
interested in the Fayette Mills, which he oper- 
ated for six years. In 1844 he disposed of his 
interest in the concern to his brother. 

For a number of years afterward Mr. Alleman 
operated a farm in the town of Fayette, but in 
1856 he removed to the banks of Seneca Lake, 
where he purchased a farm of one hundred and 
fifty-six acres. The tract was devoted bj' him 
principally to the raising of grain, but he also 
engaged to some extent in stock-raising. He 
placed the property under a high state of cultiva- 
tion, and still owns the place, though for some 
j-ears it has been occupied by a tenant. In 1871 
he came to the village of Waterloo, where he has 
since made his home. His life has been compar- 
atively quiet and uneventful, and he has followed 
the even tenor of his way through all the passing 
years. When a young man, he was commis- 
sioned Major of the militia, and later became 
Lieutenant-Colonel of the state troops. 

In 1840 Mr. Alleman married Miss Jane Wat- 
kins, daughter of Stephen Watkins, of the town 
of Fayette. Mrs. Alleman, who was a lady of 
most estimable character, was born in Philadel- 
phia, Pa., December 30, 1813, and passed from 
earth at the family residence in Waterloo in 1886. 
Four children were born to ble.ss their union, 
there being two sons and two daughters. An- 
drew A., the eldest of the family, died in 1872. 



Joseph J. is a resident of Union Springs, Cayuga 
County, N. Y. Sarah J., formerly the wife of 
Edgar H. Gambee, died in 1866: and Nancy E. 
is the wife of John H. Reamer, of Waterloo. In 
politics Mr. Alleman is a pronounced Democrat. 
His first Presidential ballot was cast for Martin 
Van Buren, and he has voted at every succeeding 
national election. In religious belief he is a Lu- 
theran, although his wife was identified with the 
Presbyterian Church. He has always been a 
man of temperate habits, to which fact is largely 
due his robust frame and good health at his pres- 
ent advanced age. 









LIVER C. COOPER, editor and proprietor 
of the Ovid Indcpendeyit, is one of the strong 
men of the town and village. The Inde- 
pendent has had a history that shows what pluck 
and courage can accomplish. It succeeded the 
Ovid Bee, and was first publi.shed by Hyatt & 
Cooper, March 5, 1873. The ofiice thus estab- 
lished was destroyed by fire October 1 1, 1874, at 
which time nearly all the business houses of Ovid 
were swept awaj-. Mr. Cooper then re-estab- 
lished the paper, and conducted it alone. It is a 
folio of eight columns, and, as its name indicates, 
is independent. For nearly twenty years it was 
the only paper published in Ovid, and in that 
time it has won a hold upon the people which no 
competition can shake. 

Mr. Cooper, our subject, was born in Clock- 
ville, December 15, 1837, the son of Conrad and 
Sarah Elizabeth (Knight) Cooper, natives of New 
Jersey, and Providence, R. I., respectively. In 
1825 they were married at Troy, where they both 
resided. Conrad Cooper was a miller, and very 
.soon after his marriage removed to Clockville, 
where he became the owner of a mill, in the op- 
eration of which he was engaged until shortly be- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



409 



fore his death, which occurred in the town of 
Lenox, Madison County, N. Y., May 26, 1846, 
at the early age of forty-four. His wife sun'ived 
him for almost thirty years, dying October 19, 
1872, in her sixty ninth year. They were mem- 
bers of the Presbyterian Church, and their faith- 
ful and devoted lives proved an inspiration to 
those who knew them best. The father was an 
Elder in the church, and exerted much influence 
for good. Nine children came to grace the fam- 
ily circle, three sons and six daughters. James 
S. died in Ovid; Lucy Ann married William 
Ackroyd, and is now a resident of Jefferson Coun- 
ty: Elizabeth married Charles Boucher, and died 
in Cynthiana; Thomas H. isa railroad man, and 
makes his home in Watertown; Harriet N. mar- 
ried William K. Wyckoff, and died June 18, 
1867, at Ripon, Wis.: Adelia became the wife 
of Dr. C. T. Mitchell, and makes her home in 
Canandaigua; Clora is Mrs. J. L. Cone, of Wa- 
terloo, while Mary Etta is Mrs. John Stevenson, 
Jr., of Albany. 

Mr. Cooper, the subject of this article, passed 
his early life in various places with his widowed 
mother, or with his brothers, until 1850, when 
he went to Troy to live with an uncle. Two 
years later he entered the office of the Northern 
New York Family Journal, published at Troy, to 
learu the printing business. From this office he 
passed to that of the Waterloo Observer, where he 
was employed two j-ears, and later worked in 
Buffalo, Rochester and other cities, going to Bos- 
ton in 1856 as a journeyman printer. In the 
fall of 1857, driven by a love of adventure and a 
desire to see the world, he went to sea, shipping 
as a sailor before the mast in a vessel bound for 
the island of Sumatra, in the East Indies. After 
an absence of eighteen months, he resumed his 
work as a printer in Boston, where he was en- 
gaged until the outbreak of the Civil War, in 
1861. He was among the first to enlist in the 
Union army, and was mustered into the service 
April 19, 1861, in Company H, First Massachu- 
setts Infantry. After ser\'ing two years, he was 
discharged on account of disabling wounds re- 
ceived in a bayonet charge at Yorktown. He 
participated in the battles of the Army of the Po- 



tomac from Bull Run until his honorable di.s- 
missal on the eve of the terrible struggle at 
Chancellorville. 

Again Mr. Cooper resumed his trade at Boston. 
In the winter of 1864 he came to Seneca County, 
and found work in the office of the Ovid Bee, and 
later was made the foreman of the Reveille at 
Seneca Falls. Following this, he was engaged 
in the Observer office at Waterloo as a.ssociate 
editor and foreman. In 1874 he was foreman of 
the LeRo}' Gazette, and finally he came to Ovid, 
where he has accomplished a difficult undertak- 
ing, and made a good business out of the ashes 
of a great conflagration. 

Mr. Cooper was married, on the loth of July, 
1859, to Miss Annie E. Patterson, daughter of 
Eliphett S. Patterson, a blacksmith of Boston. 
They have adopted two children. Bertha and 
William, brother and sister, that their home 
might know the delights of childhood. Mr. Coop- 
er is a Democrat, but his paper is independent. 
He is a member of the Grand Army, and is Past 
Commander of Charles T. Harris Post, G. A. R. 
He is a member of Masonic organizations, and 
Brethren of the Mystic Square know him for a 
thoroughly good fellow. By right and by desire 
his name is on the roll of membership of the So- 
ciety of the Army of the Potomac. As he recalls 
his own military experiences, he remembers also 
that his grandfather was a soldier in the Revolu- 
tionary struggle, and what one fought to estab- 
lish, the other fought to maintain. 



> ■ \ *■ 



-»"«—{- 






I EV SHEPHERD is not only a substantial 
It and progressive business man of Reading 
LJ Center, but is also the popular and efficient 
Postmaster of the place. He is an intelligent 
citizen, one who is thoroughly posted on all pub 
lie affairs, and ranks high among the well-to-do 
merchants of the place. 



4IO 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



The father of our subject was the late Roswell 
.Shepherd, formerly one of the old and influential 
citizens of Reading Center, where he was engaged 
as a general merchant for a period of ten years. 
His prosperity was due to the attejition which he 
paid to the minor details of his business, and in 
this manner he accumulated a fair share of this 
world's goods. He died here in 1888, at the ad- 
vanced age of eighty-seven years. 

The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
Maria Leak. She survived her husband two 
years, being at the time of her demise seventy- 
eight j-ears old. She became the mother of one 
son and three daughters, our .subject being the 
second-born of the family. He is a native of 
Schuyler County, and was born January 27, 
1838, at Altay. There he pa.ssed the first sixteen 
years of his life, during which time he was well 
educated in the common schools, being permitted 
to attend the house of learning regularly. About 
that time his father removed to Reading Center, 
and Lev being then of an age to be of assistance 
to him, he was employed in the store as a clerk. 
After four years spent thus, he formed a partner- 
.ship with Isaac Conklin, and for four years thej- 
carried on a thriving and profitable trade as gen- 
eral merchants. Mr. Shepherd then purchased 
the interest of his partner, and since that time 
has successfully operated the business alone. 

To show the efficiency of our subject as Post- 
master, we have only to state that he has been the 
incumbent of the office for a period of eighteen 
years. He has also been Town Clerk for se\eral 
terms, and has discharged the duties of County 
Treasurer for two terms in a very satisfactory 
manner. In political affairs he has always tak- 
en a very active part and is an influential worker 
in the ranks of the Republican party. Religious- 
ly he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, in which he has been one of the 
Trustees. 

The marriage of Lev Shepherd and Miss Al- 
meda Ross was celebrated at Reading in June, 
1861. Mrs. Shepherd is a native of this place 
and the daughter of the late Samuel Ro.ss, an old 
and honored resident of Reading Center. To 
Mr. and Mrs. .Shepherd there have been born 



two children: Louise, the wife of James W. Davis; 
and Harry, who chose for his wife Miss Alice 
Hoffeld. Mr. Shepherd is modest and unassum- 
ing in manner and never fails to make friends 
of all with whom he comes in contact. 



l®). 



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pQlLLIAM Y. DOLPH is a true type of the 
\ A / American self-made man, and has passed 
VY his entire life in this section of the state. 
At present he is residing in Montour Falls, where 
he is very popular, and from July 18, 1889, to 
April I, 1895, occupied the position of Postmas- 
ter. He has also been Justice of the Peace, dis- 
charging the duties of the office with great credit 
to himself. - 

Chester V. Dolpli, the father of our subject, 
was also a native of Schuyler County, his father, 
Grandfather Joseph Dolph, having located in 
this county in 1802, when it was known as Tomp- 
kins County. In 18 14 the latter made his home 
in the town of Hector, where he was one of the 
earliest settlers. By trade he was a surveyor. 
He was born near New Haven, Conn., and for a 
time also lived in Schenectady, departing this 
life December 21, 1827, when advanced in years. 
The race is very long-lived, the great-grandfather 
of our subject, Abdah A. Dolph, living to be 
ninety-one years of age. He, too, was born in 
the Nutmeg State, and subsequently lived in 
Ashtabula County, Ohio. For many years he 
was engaged in general merchandising, but dur- 
ing the last twenty years of life lived retired. 
The Dolph family is of German extraction, and 
our subject comes of a somewhat noted ance.str)'. 
Generations ago Charles Dolph, of the same 
branch, raised a company of soldiers and defended 
Say brook against the English. 

The father of our subject married Miss Eliza- 
beth Steele, a native of Tompkins County. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



411 



Grandfather Steele was born in Bucks County, 
Pa., of Irish parents. The grandmother was 
taken to Ithaca, or where that city now stands, 
in 1804, when it contained but four houses and 
the country round about was nothing more than 
a wilderness. Mrs. Elizabeth Dolph, who died 
January 22, 1884, became the mother of five chil- 
dren. Joseph Norton, now living in Portland, 
Oregon, is a member of the law firm of Dolph, 
Nixon & Dolph, the firm comprising his son, 
son-in-law and himself; he is known more parti- 
cularly as Senator Dolph, as he served two terms 
in the United States vSenate. William V., of 
this history, was the second of the family. Cyrus 
A. is a very prominent and able attorne}- of Port- 
land, Oregon. Roselia is the wife of Rev. James 
H. Ross, a retired minister of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. John M., who graduated 
with the Class of '72 from Syracuse College, is 
now a resident of Port Jervis, this state, where 
he is Superintendent of Schools; he is a very able 
instructor and is much liked by his pupils and 
those under his charge. In addition to farming, 
the father owned and operated a steam sawmill, 
which was located in the woods. He was a 
Democrat up to 1848, when he joined the Free- 
soil part}-. After the organization of the Repub- 
lican ranks, however, he again changed his views, 
and thereafter voted for its candidates. 

William V. Dolph was born October 6, 1837, 
in the town of Catharine, this county, at which 
time it formed a part of Chemung County. His 
boyhood da\-s were passed on the old homestead, 
which estate is now in his possession. He was a 
very apt pupil, and in attending the district 
.schools gained a good knowledge of the common 
branches taught. For twelve years, from 1854 
to 1866, he taught school with fair success. 
Following in his father's footsteps, he is al.so a 
Republican, tried and true. He has taken a 
great interest in public matters, holding the office 
of Justice of the Peace for sixteen years, and has 
also been Pension Attorney, being very success- 
ful in presenting claims. Mr. Dolph possesses a 
wonderful memory, and with his keen, analytical 
mind would have made a brilliant lawyer, had he 
made that profes.sion asffndy. He was appointed 



Postmaster July 18, 1889, and such .satisfaction 
did he give to his fellow-townsmen that he was 
retained in office until 1895, or for a period of six 
years. 

March 22, i860, Mr. Dolph and Miss Hattie 
E. Reed were united in marriage. The latter 
was the daughter of John A. and Margaret 
(Houness) Reed, and was born March 22, 1839. 
She survived her union about two years, depart- 
ing this life May 20, 1862, leaving a daughter. 
Delia, who followed her to the land beyond about 
four months later. Mr. Dolph afterward mar- 
ried the twin sister of his first wife, Miss Eliza 
D. Reed, the ceremonj- which made them one be- 
ing solemnized December 5, 1863. His second 
wife died April 19, 1890, leaving two daughters: 
Augusta, born July 4, 1870; and Rose E., June 
7, 1876. One child died in infancy. Both daugh- 
ters are well educated and accomplished young 
ladies, and move in the best circles of society in 
Montour Falls, and the eldest daughter is house- 
keeper for her father. 




REV. WILLIAM B. OLIN, a prominent and 
successful resident of the town of Junius, 
Seneca Count}-, is the posses.sor of a fine 
farm in this town, which he operates in addition 
to doing contracting and building, and it has Ijeen 
his privilege to erect some of the best dwellings 
in this town. 

Mr. Olin was born in the town of Sennett, 
Cayuga County, N. V., November 20, 1836. 
His parents were Jonathan P. and Eliza H. (Mer- 
rill) Olin, the father born in the town of Link- 
laen, Chenango County, this state, and the mother 
near Rutland, \'t. Earh' in life Jonatlian Olin 
served an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, 
and followed that trade for a half-century, work- 
ing in the counties of Chenango, Madison, Cort- 
land, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and \\'a\ne. 



41^ 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



For several years he also resided in both Madison 
and Cortland Conntieh. He was fairly well-to- 
do, and by his honorable and upright methods 
of transacting business won hosts of friends. 

The parental family included six sons and six 
daughters, of whom nine grew to mature years, 
and eight reared families of their own. Of this 
household three are living. The father was first 
a Whig in politics, but later became a strong 
anti-slavery man and a Republican. He was a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
contributed liberally toward its support. 

The subject of this sketch was a small boy 
when his parents went to Chenango County, and 
when in his fourth year he was taken by them to 
Madison County, where he made his home for 
the succeeding eight years. Tlie next six years 
of his life were spent in Cortland County. He 
was naturally gifted in the use of tools, and when 
a lad of ten years was of great assistance to his 
father in his work. During the winter months 
he attended school, and while living in Cortland 
County had the opportunity of carrying on his 
studies in a splendid school. At the age of nine- 
teen he began to teach in the winter, and worked at 
his trade in the summer, and in this manner ob- 
tained a good income, ^\'hen in his eleventh 
year he commenced to make his own way in the 
world, and first went to live with Calvin Sever- 
ance, of Cortland County, a most estimable gen- 
tleman and a farmer, and while there was con- 
verted and joined the Baptist Church. 

May 3, 1856, Mr. Olin was married, in the 
above county, to Miss Margaret .Sleeth, whose 
birth occurred in Paterson, N. J., August 18, 
1833, and who is the daughter of Samuel and 
Margaret Sleeth, well-to-do residents of that lo- 
cality. In November of that same year our sub- 
ject came to Seneca County, and, renting a home 
in the town of Junius, began working at his trade. 
Having no income aside from what he could 
make at this business, he applied himself very 
closely, and shortly afterward became well known 
to the people of the community. 

In i860 Mr. Olin purchased three acres of 
land, on which he erected a house, and gave con- 
siderable attention to cultivating his laud. He 



found farming to be a very profitable business, 
and from time to time was enabled to add to his 
possessions, until now he is the owner of a fine 
tract of laud, embracing some eighty acres. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Olin there have been granted 
five children. Alice, born August 24, 1859, 
married Adin Thorn, and is also living on a 
farm in the town of Junius. Hattie M., born May 
15, 1862, is now Mrs. Charles Gridley. She is a 
finely educated lady, first attending the .schools 
of Waterloo, after which she was graduated from 
the high school at Syracuse. The course there 
was supplemented by attendance at the State 

I Normal at Cortland, after which she began to 
teach, following this profession for several years 
prior to her marriage. William B. was born 

I July 25, 1S64, and after completing his educa- 
tion in the schools of Waterloo, began learning 
the carpenter's trade with his father. He was 
married, when twentj'-four years of age, to Miss 
Lena Royston, of Leslie, Mich., and two years 
later moved to Omaha, Neb., where he is carry- 
ing on a good business as a general merchant. 
John S., who was born April 28, 1867, was also 
educated in Waterloo Academy; he is still at 
home, assisting his father in contracting and 
building. Jennie M., born March 25, 1874. mar- 
ried Horatio Augustus Serven, of the town of 
Junius, and they are now living in Border City, 
Seneca County, where Mr. Serven is a merchant. 
Mr. Olin is a strong supporter of Republican 
principles, and voted for Lincoln in i860. He 
has been the incumbent of the office of Justice of 
the Peace for several \ears, and although he has 

I decided several difficult questions, he has never 
had a case appealed. Upon first entering the 
church, he became a great worker, but hesitated 

I at entering the ministry, as he felt that his edu- 
cation was not sufficient. He became identified 
with the Young Men's Christian Association, of 

I which he was made President, and aided in or- 
ganizing the society in the town of Junius. For 
many years he was Deacon, Clerk and Trustee 

I of the Baptist Church, and in 1886 was granted 
a license to preach. He was ordained in the town 
of Clarksville, Allegany County, N. Y., where 
he performed his first pastoral work. After 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



413 



abandoning' regular work as a minister, he was 
engaged as an Evangelist by the New York Bap- 
tist Missionarj- Society-, and met with a good de- 
gree of success in this field of labor. 



G^ 



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EHARLES A. vSLOANE, who is engaged in 
farming in the town of Montour, has been 
a resident of Schuyler County for twenty 
years and has become well and favorably known. 
He is a native of Herkimer County, born May 
19, 1850, and is a son of James K. and Eouisa 
(Renoj Sloane, the former a native of Massachu- 
setts, and the latter of Ot.sego County, N. Y. In 
early life the father learned the currier's trade, 
but abandoned that and engaged in the foundry- 
bu.siness at Springfield Center, Otsego County. 
Previous to this time, however, he located in 
Herkimer County, where his family was born, 
and where his wife died. They were the parents 
of six children, four daughters and two sons, of 
whom our .subject was the youngest. His mother 
died when he was but two years old. The father 
was a well educated man, and owned a large li- 
brary, which he made use of as opportunity was 
afforded him. Although he never accepted office, 
he was quite prominent in public affairs. His old 
store building still stands in Spring^eld Center 
and is known as Sloane' s Block. 

In 1 86 1, when the first call was made for vol- 
unteers in defense of the Union, James K. Sloane 
sacrificed his interest in his business and re- 
.sponded to the first call, enlisting in the Seventy- 
sixth New York Infantry, with which he remained. 
After .serving two years, his full time, he started 
home, and reached Albany just as Lee made his 
raid into Pennsylvania. A call was then made 
for three-months men and he again enlisted, re- 
turning to the front just in time to take part in 
the battle of Getty.sburg, where he was wounded. 
While in the two-years service he was wounded 
16 



at the battle of Antietam, and al.so in another en- 
gagement. At the close of his three-months serv- 
ice he was again mustered out, and started home, 
reaching Albany the second time. Here he again 
enlisted for three years, or until the close of the 
war. Returning to the front, he was killed, in the 
spring of 1865, at the battle of Ft. Fisher, and his 
grave, like tho.se of thou.sands of other brave sol- 
diers, is marked "unknown." 

The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood in 
his home at Springfield Center, and until the 
death of his father attended the common schools 
and academy at that place. When seventeen 
years of age he entered a shop to learn the trade 
of carriage-ironing with a man named Durfee, 
with whom he remained one year, and then went 
to Fulton County and entered the carriage-shop 
of Moses L. Stockley, who married his sister 
Annie. He remained with Mr. Stockley six 
years, and June 18, 1873, was united in marriage 
with Annie Newton, a daughter of James New- 
ton. Her father was an exten.sive manufacturer 
of gloves at Johnstown, N. Y., where he was a 
prominent citizen. Though advanced in years, 
he is a man of unusual talent, and for a number 
of years has made his home with our subject. 
Mrs. Sloane is an only daughter and is a highly 
educated and refined lady, a graduate of the 
Young Ladies' Seminary of Schenectady. By our 
subject's marriage were born two sons: James N., 
a graduate of the military academy of Aurora, 
N. Y., who is now making his home with his 
parents: and Charles A., at home. 

After his marriage Mr. Sloane entered into 
partnership with his father-in-law in the glove- 
manufacturing business, and was the first to suc- 
cessfully introduce the hog-.skin glove. Soon 
after entering into the Iju.siness he went on the 
road in the interest of the firm, traveling in Penn- 
sylvania, Vermont. New York, Ohio, and other 
states, and continued to be thus occupied for ten 
years, when, on account of the advanced age of 
his father-in-law, he (juil the l)usiness and entered 
the emjiloy ofD. McCarthy &Son, of Syracuse, in 
the dry-goods trade, traveling for them six years, 
principally in New York and Penn.sylvania. 

In 1877 our subject removed to Ha\ana, which 



414 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



was his home until 1893, when he bought his 
present farm of eightj'-five acres, to which they 
moved, and where he has since engaged in gen- 
eral farming and market-gardening on a large 
scale, raising his products and shipping in car- 
load lots. He also gives considerable attention 
to the dairj- business, furnishing butter to private 
families. In politics he has been an active Re- 
publican since attaining his majority. From boy- 
hood he has been a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, of which body his wife is also a member. 
He has been a Master Mason since twenty -one 
years of age, holding membership with Kenney- 
etto Lodge No. 599, at Broadalbin, N. Y. 

In this connection it may be said that James 
Sloane, the grandfather of our subject, was a 
prominent physician of Otsego County, and in 
early days was known as one of the most skillful 
physicians of that county, where he practiced for 
manj' years and where his death occurred. 



->-»" 



••>^*^ 



®>C;» •— <- 



iEORGE C. WALSH. In compiling an ac- 
count of the different business enterprises of 
Schuyler County, we desire particularh- to 
call attention to Mr. Walsh, who is one of the 
successful general merchants of the thriving vil- 
lage of Tyrone. The thrift and energy displayed 
in the management of his affairs are apparent 
when you enter his store, and his pleasant, genial 
manner, and his honorable, upright conduct have 
won for him many friends and patrons. 

Mr. Walsh was born in Wayne, Steuben 
County. N. Y., Octobers, 1857, and is the sou 
of Thomas E. Walsh, whose decease occurred in 
the above county. His mother, whose maiden 
name was Maria Gould, was a native of New 
Jersey, where her family was well known. B3' 
her union with Thomas Walsh she became the 
mother of eight children, five sons and three 
daughters, of whom our subject was the .sixth m 



order of birth. He was reared to the age of 
eighteen years in Wayne, and although his par- 
ents were people of limited means, he was per- 
mitted to attend the district school, and in this 
waj- laid the foundation for after years of study 
and learning. 

Our subject was deprived of his father's care 
when a lad of fifteen years, and in order that his 
mother and younger brothers and sisters might 
be made more comfortable, he began working out 
by the month, continuing in this manner for the 
following seven years. Over and above what he 
was obliged to spend for the famih-, he laid by for 
future use, and when ready to begin in life for 
himself, possessed a snug little sum of money. 
This he invested in a stock of merchandise, and 
for three j'ears was engaged in the sale of goods 
at Weston. Afterward he sold out, and was em- 
ployed as clerk for Willis & Sargeant, prominent 
merchants of that place; but at the eud of two 
years he left their employ, and purchased a one- 
half interest in the mercantile establishment of 
his brother James H., who was then living at 
Wayne. They continued together for three 
years, when our subject sold his share in the bus- 
iness, and a twelvemonth later bought a stock of 
merchandise in Savona, N. Y. After remaining 
there only a few months, however, he came to 
Tyrone, purchasing the .stock of C. T. Willis, 
and here he has successfully carried on business 
ever since. Although he began with small means, 
his credit was good, and as the years passed by 
he was enabled to add to his business such conven- 
iences as made it more profitable. He has con- 
nected with him in this enterprise Charles G. 
Winfield, and the firm operates under the firm 
name of George C. Walsh & Co. 

The marriage of our subject with Miss Augu.sta 
J. Winfield occurred in Weston, N. Y., Septem- 
ber 2, 1885. Mrs. Walsh is the daughter of 
Charles G. and Adeline M. (Shannon) Winfield, 
and by her union with our subject has become 
the mother of a .son, John W., who was born 
November 27, 1887. Mrs. Walsh was one in a 
family of three, and was born in Toledo, Ohio, 
February 18, 1867. 

Mr. Walsh is an active Democrat in politics, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI, RECORD. 



415 



and on that ticket was elected to the office of 
Collector, which he satisfactorily filled for two 
years. Religiousl>- he is a ineinber of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church, with which his good wife 
is also connected, and both take an active part in 
church work. During Cleveland's second admin- 
istration Mr. Walsh was appointed Postmaster of 
Tyrone, entering upon the duties of the position 
in February, 1895. He is ver\- popular as an of- 
ficial, and is a man of whom the village ma\- well 
be proud. 




(TOHN G. REYNOLDS. This well known 
I farmer and lumberman of the town of Cay- 
(2/ uta, Schuyler County, was born January 27, 
1832, in this town (then a part of the town of 
Erin, Chemung County). He is a son of Thomas 
and Nancy (Colwell) Reynolds, natives of Brattle- 
boro, Vt., the former born August 14, 1800, and 
the latter in 1798. John Reynolds, grandfather 
of our subject, moved with his family from the 
Green Mountain State to New York, and settled 
in the town of Reading, Schuyler County, but 
soon removed to the town of Veteran, Tioga 
(now Chemung) County,. where he spent the re- 
mainder of his life. The Colwell family removed 
from \'ermont and located in Chautauqua Coun- 
t}', N. Y., about the same time that the Reynolds 
family moved to Schuyler County. Thomas Rey- 
nolds was a substantial farmer, and in politics 
was a Democrat, though not active in political 
affairs. 

The subject of tliis sketch was fifth among 
.seven children comprising the family of Thomas 
and Nancy Reynolds. His boyhood and youth 
were spent upon the old farm, and during the win- 
ters he attended the district school, while in the 
summer he assisted in the farm work. At the 
age of twenty -one he commenced life for himself, 



teaching school winters and performing any kind 
of work that came to hand during the summer. 
Four years later he embarked in the lumber busi- 
ness in company with his brother Jerome, pur- 
chasing a sawmill in the town of Cayuta, which 
they conducted for twenty-:^even years. Our sub- 
ject then purchased his brother's interest and has 
since continued alone. His plan has been to pur- 
chase timber-land, clear it and convert the timber 
into lumber. In the time in which he has been 
engaged in the business he has cleared one thou- 
sand acres, and now owns about that amount of 
land in this, Chemung and Tompkins Counties. 
In farming he has given special attention to stock- 
raising, and has raised some valuable blooded 
horses, and now owns some well bred young 
roadsters. 

January 7, 1864, Mr. Reynolds married Miss 
Sylvia, daughter of Ira and Gecia (Smith) Cooper. 
She was born in the house where she now lives 
and which has always been her home. By this 
union two children were born: Ernest C, who 
graduated from the Cazenovia Seminary and is 
now engaged in business in New York City; and 
Ethel S., a graduate of Ft. Edwards Collegiate 
Institute. 

In politics Mr. Reynolds is a Democrat and for 
many years has been active in the councils of that 
party. He has often been honored by his fellow- 
citizens with local offices. For thirteen years he 
has served his town as a member of the Board 
of Supervisors. He was first elected in 1861 
and served for two years. In 1S70 he was again 
elected and served four terms in succession. In 
1 89 1 he was elected and served three years. »He 
is, with one exception, the only man in the 
county who has served that length of time. Be- 
sides this position, he has held the offices of Assess- 
or, Town Clerk and Inspector of Elections. For 
the past thirty years he has represented his party in 
county and .state conventions, and in all that time 
has never mis.sed a single county convention. He 
is not a member of any church, but attends the 
Christian Church, of which his wife is a member, 
and contrilnites to its support. 

Mr. Reynolds has done a large business in 
lumber, shipping to various cities from half a mill- 



4i6 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ion to a million feet per year. Besides the old saw- 
mill, located on the outlet of Cayuta Lake and 
run by water power, in 1883 he purchased a port- 
able sawmill, which he has also operated. Since 
that year he has probably sawed more lumber 
than any other firm in the county. His home 
farm comprises fifty acres, on which is a com- 
fortable dwelling, together with all outbuildings 
necessary for a well regulated farm. He also 
owns six hundred acres in the vicinity of the old 
mill. 



EHARLES OGDEN has spent his entire life 
in Seneca County, and is numbered among 
the capable, successful farmers of the town 
of Romulus. Trained to agricultural pursuits, 
he selected farming for his life work, and of this 
calling he has made a success. He is the owner 
of a tract of two hundred and eleven acres, lying 
in one body, and this place has through his efforts 
been brought to a high state of cultivation, bear- 
ing the improvements of a model estate. 

In the town of Varick, the .subject of this 
sketch was born December i, 1818. He is the 
son of Jonathan Ogden, a native of Chenango 
County, N. Y., who came to Seneca Count}- in 
1 817, and became one of the early settlers of the 
town of Romulus. The land on which he re- 
sided, though then included in the town of Romu- 
lus, is now within the limits of Varick. In 1S43 
he moved to the farm where Charles now resides, 
and here he died in 1874, at the age of eighty- 
one. His wife, who bore the maiden name of 
Sarah J. Davis, passed away in 1875, at the age 
of seventy-five. They lie side by side in the cem- 
etery near the place where so many years of their 
lives had been passed. He was a mason, inter- 
ested in all that pertained to that occupation, but 
his time was given principalh- to teaching, and 
for thirty years he followed that profession. 

There were but two children in the parental 



famil}^ and our subject is the only survivor. He 
grew to manhood amid the pioneer scenes of this 
localit}-, and received such educational advan- 
tages as were afforded b}' the schools of those 
days. In 1843 he established domestic ties, be- 
ing united in marriage, on the 8th of March, to 
Eleanor Brown, of this county. Two children 
came to bless their union, of whom the daughter, 
Mary, is the wife of R. Allen: and the .son, 
Henry M., is a farmer of this town. 

The political aflSliations of Mr. Ogden are with 
the Democratic partv, and he has always sup- 
ported its men and measures. He has served 
with efficiency in a number of local offices, in- 
cluding that of Road Commissioner, which he 
held for a time some years ago. All liberal and 
progressive enterprises receive his cordial sjmi- 
path)^ and co-operation, and he has always been 
found on the side of those measures that, if car- 
ried out, will advance the interests of the people 
of the county. Since eighteen years of age he 
has engaged in farming, and is a practical, in- 
dustrious agriculturist, having through his own 
labors improved his present homestead, where he 
has resided since 1843. 



-*-^^ 



fl(^^->«- 



-*-^ 



c<-*- 



Q COLUMBUS LAMBERT, the owner ot 
I ( fifty acres of improved farming land in the 
\J town of Fayette, Seneca County, is a man 
whose industry and usefulness and whose record 
for honestj- and uprightness have given him a 
hold upon the conununity which all might well 
desire to share. He is a native-born resident of 
this town, his birth occurring January 18, 1850, 
and his parents being George and Jeanette (Will- 
iamson) Lambert. The parental family included 
thirteen children, all of whom are now living, 
with one exception, and make their homes in the 
towns of Fayette and Varick. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



417 



The subject of this sketch passed the first fifteen 
}-ears of his life in the town of Fayette, when his 
father moved to the town of Varick, where he is 
now one of the prominent residents and prosper- 
ous fanners, his estate there mchiding two hun- 
dred acres of excellent land. Columbus remained 
at home until two years after reaching his ma- 
jority, and for that time was paid wages b)' his 
father. He was alwa\s obliged to work verj- 
hard, and as his services were in great demand 
during the summer season, he was permitted to at- 
tend school but a few months in each year; con- 
sequently the greater part of his knowledge has 
been gained by reading and observation. 

Mr. Lambert's marriage united him with Miss 
Arminda Stahl, of the town of \'arick, whose 
home adjoined that of his father. After this ev- 
ent he worked b\' the day for a few years, at the 
same time operating a .steam thresher, of which 
he was the owner. He was the possessor of $900 
at the time of his marriage, and this little sum he 
kept adding to from time to time until he invested 
it in his present estate of fifty acres. This he 
bought in 1882, paying therefor $3,000. He is a 
farmer of considerable prominence in this localitj-, 
and full}- merits the success which has attended 
all his efforts. 

The wife and mother departed this life July 
23, 1893, leaving our subject with four children: 
Tilghnian, who was born in the town of Varick, 
in December, 1876; Charlotte, born .September 26, 
1879; Eber, September i, 1881; and Mary, May 
12, i88g. His second marriage, which occurred 
June 27, 1894, united him with Mrs. Marj- (Hil- 
kert) Silves, the widow of Samuel Silves. By her 
first union there was born a daughter, Klla, who 
is now residing w'ith her mother. Religiously 
.she is a working member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, worshiping with the congregation 
which meets at Faj-ette. 

Mr. Lambert is often called upon to furnish the 
machine and do threshing for farmers of the sur- 
rounding country, and for seventeen years has 
followed this business. He has done work as far 
south as the village of Farmer, and as far north 
as Seneca Falls. In political belief Mr. Lambert 
is a stanch Republican, and a useful and promi- 



nent citizen. Socially he is a member of the 
Grange. He is one of the self-made men of Sen- 
eca County, and in every walk in life has con- 
ducted himself in an honorable and upright 
manner. 



0AVID C. HILLERMAN. As a busine.ss 
man and as a citizen, Mr. Hillerman occu- 
pies a position among the leading residents 
of Watkins, where he has made his home for 
many years. He is endowed with strength of 
character and the moral and mental qualities that 
place him among these whose citizenship is most 
valuable to their town and county. His sturdy, 
practical traits have been advantageous to him in 
the prosecution of his business affairs, and have 
brought him a competence. Though not one of 
the sons of the Empire State, his home has been 
here since 1825, and he has been a witness of its 
wonderful growth and prosperity. 

A native of New Jersey, our subject was born 
October 10, 1820, being a .son of William and 
Hannah (Corey) Hillerman. His father, who was 
a farmer by occupation, removed from New Jersej- 
to New York, settling in Schuyler County. He 
purchased a tract in the town of Reading, which 
he improved into a good farm, and upon it he re- 
sided until his death in 1845. His wife passed 
away the following year. He was a highly re- 
spected citizen, and a man of strong will power, 
coupled with force of character and great indus- 
try. Of his si.K children, four were .sons and two 
daughters, and all are still living, with one ex- 
ception. 

David C, who was third in order of birth, was 
a child of three and a-half years when the family 
came to Schuyler Count\-. His boyhood years 
were passed in the town of Reading, and early 
in life he gained a thorough knowledge of the 
details of farm life. After the death of his father, 
he succeeded him in the management of the es- 



4i8 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD 



tate, of which he had the supervision for seven- 
teen years. In 1862 he came to Watkins and 
engaged in the grocery business for a number of 
years, but in October, 1878, sold out and com- 
menced in the coal business, which he still car- 
ries on. He deals in both hard and soft coal, also 
in wood, and has built up a large trade. 

In 1847 ^^''- Hillerman was united in marriage 
with Miss Cliloe, daughter of Augustus Ely, of 
Hector, Schuyler County. They are members of 
the First Presbyterian Church, of which Rev. 
Louis F. Ruf is pastor, and take an active inter- 
est in all the enterprises connected with this or- 
ganization. At present he is ser\-ing as Elder of 
the congregation. At different times he has held 
local civic offices, among which were those of 
Justice of the Peace and Road Commissioner. 
He is a man who enjoys to an unusual degree the 
regard of his associates and the esteem of those 
with whom he has business or social relations. 



IILLIAM A. BICKFORD, who is perhaps 
one of the best known citizens of the west 
end of Seneca County, is at present living 
at Border City, a new town at the northeast end 
of Seneca Lake, and joining the eastern corpora- 
tion line of Geneva. He bears a wide reputation 
as the inventor of the Niagara Force Pump, the 
Solid-Comfort Lawn Swing, the Child's Delight, 
and Jacob's Ladder. They are manufactured by 
the Border City Manufacturing Company, of 
which Mr. Bickford is Manager, Secretary and 
Treasurer. He is a native of Vermont, and was 
born at Troy, September 10, 1858. His parents 
were Thomas and Juda (Kimball) Bickford, 
natives of the province of Quebec, Canada, 
where they met and were married. Soon after 
that event we find them living in the Green 
Mountain State, where the father was engaged 
in fanning. 



Mrs. Juda Bickford departed this life in Ver- 
mont, leaving William A., who was her only 
child. The father was again married, and in 
1866 removed to Albert Lea, Minn. After some 
time .spent there the family took up their abode 
in Minneapolis. Up to that time our subject had 
very limited opportunities for attending school, 
but after moving to Minneapolis he was sent to 
the public schools there in the winter and during 
the summer months worked in a sawmill. This 
continued until he reached the age of seventeen, 
when he was apprenticed to learn the machinist's 
trade, working in the shops of Walker Brothers, 
manufacturers of wood-working machinery. He 
remained with this company two years and a-halt, 
receiving for his first year's work $20 per month. 
The second year his wages were raised $2.50 per 
month, and to $24 the remaining six months. 
Before the usual time allowed an apprentice had 
expired. Walker Brothers sold out their business 
and removed to Philadelphia. Voung Bickford 
then finished his trade in another shop, and was 
soon working for $1.50 per da}'. 

When only twenty years of age our subject 
went to Owatoinia, Minn., and organized the firm 
of E. L. Paddock & Co. , to do general machine 
work and repairing. It was just getting a good 
start when it was burned out, this event occur- 
ring on Mr. Bickford's twenty-first birthday. At 
that time he lost all his tools, clothing and school 
books, which he kept in the shop. He then re- 
turned to Minneapolis, and before noon on the 
day of his arrival had secured a position in the 
same shop where he had learned his trade, receiv- 
ing $2.50 per day. After working for this firm 
for about si.x months, he entered into a partner- 
ship with a Mr. Fo.ster in that city and opened 
an agricultural-implement store, the firm name 
l)eing Bickford & Foster. This connection ex- 
isted for two years, and it was during that time 
that Mr. Bickford invented the Niagara Double- 
Actiug, Xon-Freezing Force Pump, getting out 
his first patent, however, in Canada. Selling out 
his interest in the implement business in Minne- 
apolis to his partner, he made his home in the 
Dominion. He sold his patent right to the Farm 
and Dairy Manufacturing Company, of Brant- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



419 



ford, for $3,000, and was given the position of 
mechanical superintendent of tliis company, with 
a salary of $1,000 per year. He remained with 
the firm for about two \ears, during which 
time he was married, at Brantford, November 14, 
1882, to Miss Isabella Morris, who was born in 
that place January i, 1861. She was the daugh- 
ter of William and Isabella (Hyde) Morris, na- 
tives, respectively, of England and Ireland. 

At the expiration of the time above mentioned, 
Mr. Bickford removed to Moucton, New Bruns- 
wick, to take charge of an establishment there 
which was engaged in the manufacture of bis 
pumps. He was there about a year and a-half, 
but the venture not proving a successful one, he 
resigned his position and went to Prescott, On- 
tario, where he organized a company to manu- 
facture the force pumps. Soon selling his interest 
to other parties, however, he again came to the 
States, locating at Ogdensburg, N. Y., where he 
organized the Border City Manufacturing Com- 
pan}'. About this time he had his pumps 
patented in the United States, and January, 1889, 
the company was read}' for business. In 1891 
Mr. Bickford came to his present location, where 
he has since manufactured his own articles. Bor- 
der City now contains manj' buildings, but his 
factory was the first building erected. 

The Niagara Force Pumps are acknowledged 
by all who have used and examined them to be 
the best and most serviceable pumps in the mar- 
ket for rai.sing water, washing carriages, sprink- 
ling lawns, extinguishing fires, etc. The}- are 
guaranteed to pump a barrel of water per minute 
from a well of ordinary depth, or force a stream 
from fifty to one hundred feet from the nozzle of 
any reasonable length of hose. This pump has 
been on the market for the past seven years and 
has been thoroughly tested and strengthened in 
all its weak points, and is to-daj- the most com- 
plete general-purpose pump ever sold in the 
United States or Canada. It never freezes, never 
needs priming, is double acting and durable. 

Mr. Bickford is also the inventor and manu- 
facturer of the Solid-Comfort Lawn .Swing, which 
is a very comfortable and artistic piece of lawn 
furniture. It embraces and combines the ham- 



mock, the easy and reclining chair, the settee, 
the swing and the lawn tent, and it excels them 
all. He also has for .sale the Child's Delight, a 
swing for the nursery. 

Jacob's Ladder, another of Mr. Bickford's in- 
ventions, is one of the most complete articles ever 
used by carpenters, roofers, paper-hangers, house- 
decorators, painters, merchants, farmers and me- 
chanics of all kinds. It is manufactured and 
owned exclusively by the Border City Manufact- 
uring Company, of which our subject is one of 
the largest stockholders. They do a bu.siness of 
$20,000 per year, and the product of their fac- 
tory is shipped to all points in the United States. 

Our subject is a Democrat in politics, and cast 
his first Presidential vote in 1884 for Grover 
Cleveland. He is very popular in his commu- 
nity and was elected by adherents of both political 
parties to the office of Justice of the Peace in 

1893. Socially he is a Mason of high standing, 
belonging to Geneva Chapter, and became a mem- 
ber of the organization while at Brantford, Can- 
ada, being initiated in Doric Lodge No. 121. He 
is likewi.se a member of the Royal Arcanum, and 
has been sent as the representative of this order 
to its state convention, which met at Syracuse in 
April, 1895. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Bickford there were granted 
three sons: Charles A., born at Moncton, New 
Brunswick, in 1884; Reginald, whose birth oc- 
curred at Brantford, Canada, in 1886; and Harold 
Morris, born in 1893. The latter died in July, 

1894, when about six months old. 






(S\ DAM SNYDER. Schuyler County has won 
LA an enviable reputation as a pro.sperous fruit- 
/ I growing and farming region, and this has 
been acquired through the energy and persever- 
ance of such agriculturists as Mr. Snyder. He 



420 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



has been prominentlj- identified with the advance- 
ment of this locality in every worthy particular, 
and has discharged the duties of various import- 
ant positions in the town in a very satisfactory- 
and creditable manner. A prominent and u.seful 
citizen, the county owes its prosperity to such 
men as he. For many years he was one of the 
prosperous agriculturists of the town of Hector, 
but at the present time he is living retired in 
Burdett. 

Our subject was born in Warren County, N. J., 
February 25, 1826, his parents being John W. 
and Catherine (Brugler') Snyder. Four years 
after the birth of their son Adam they came to 
Schu\Ier Count)", choosing for their future home 
the town of Hector, and locating on a tract of land 
ju.st south of Reynoldsville, where they resided 
until their decease, the father passing away in 
1866, when seventy-six years of age, and the 
mother dying two years prior to this time. They 
were .stanch members of the Presbyterian Church, 
attending service at Burdett. 

The parental family included the following 
sons and daughters: Anna, who married John 
Teed, of Burdett: Peter, formerly a farmer, but 
now a resident of Ithaca: Adam, our subject; 
Sidney, who married Daniel Thompson, of Hec- 
tor; Sarah, who is the wife of Giles Buskirk, and 
makes her home in Missouri; John, a carpenter 
in Elmira, N. Y.; Catherine, Mrs. Willis At- 
water, also of that city; and Emeline, who mar- 
ried Spencer Wheeler, of Burdett. 

The subject of this sketch remained on the 
home place until twenty-six years of age, when 
he began life for him.self on property in the town 
of Catharine. He lived in that localit\- for a 
period of twelve years, when we find him a resi- 
dent of Hector, where he also purchased land. 
His return hither was in 1866, and the estate 
which came into his po.ssession at that time con- 
sisted of one hundred and twenty-five acres, just 
east of Burdett. On this he erected substantial 
buildings of every description, and engaged in 
general ffirming, making a specialty, however, 
of raising .sheep, of which he had some of the best 
breeds. 

Mr. Snyder's marriage iniited him with Miss 



Jane E. Darling, of Hector, the daughter of An- 
drew Darling, of that place. Their family in- 
cluded two children, the elder of whom died in 
infancy. George A., one of the most prominent 
residents of the county, was elected to the As- 
sembly in 1894. He is a prominent farmer of 
Schuyler County, and for his full history we refer 
the reader to his biography, found on another 
page in this volume. 

In politics our subject is a strong Republican, 
and religiously is a supporter of the Presbyterian 
Church, in which he is Trustee. For ten years 
he has been President of the Hector Union Cem- 
eter)- Association, and under his supervision the 
cemetery is kept in excellent condition, and to this 
work he devotes considerable time. 



...^fe.- 



-J — t—- 



^i^' 



«"t-"f- 



EHARLES S. FROST. Probably none ot 
the citizens of Schuyler County are more 
widely known among the people of this 
and other states than Mr. Frost, a successful 
business man of Watkins. In a volume dedi- 
cated to the able and eminent men of the county, 
considerable mention naturally belongs to one 
so intimately identified with the development of 
the village and county. His interests are ex- 
ten.sive and varied. He is proprietor of the 
Schuyler Mills, the Schuyler Iron and Agricult- 
ural Works and the Schuyler Machine Works. 
In addition to these, he is also proprietor of the 
Glen Park Hotel, the largest summer-resort hotel 
in Watkins. 

In the town ol Catlin, Chemung County, 
N. Y., Charles S. Fro.st was born in 1836. His 
great-grandfather, Joseph Frost, settled in Che- 
numg County about 1803, becoming one of the 
earliest .settlers of what was later known as Frost's 
Hill, where he died about 1838. He was the 
second of four brothers, all of whom .settled on 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



421 



Frost's Hill and took up adjoining lands, these 
farms being still owned b}- their descendants. He 
was born May 22, 1754, and was a youth of 
twenty years when the dark clouds-of dissension 
arose and the Colonies became involved in war 
with the mother country . He was one of those 
who enlisted for the defense of the country, and 
.served with valor on many a hard- fought battle- 
field. The Frost family originally came from 
England, the first representative emigrating to 
this country in 1643 and settling in Connecticut. 
The old home.stead in Catlin was surveyed in 
18 1 7 by a Mr. Pompeley, who boarded with the 
family at the time. 

The grandfather of our subject, Jonathan, came 
from Connecticut to New York and .selected a 
suitable location for a home in Chemung County. 
He then returned to his native place, where he 
married Elizabeth Sherwood, and their wedding 
trip was a journey on horseback to their new 
home. Thomas Sherwood Frost, father of our 
subject, was born in Chemung County, December 
25, 1809, and by his marriage with Lydia Cogswell 
he had two sons and one daughter, those besides 
our subject being Emma J., wife of L. G. Giles, 
of Waterman, III., and John E., of Watkins. 

In childhood Charles Frost gained the rudi- 
ments of his education in the district schools of 
Chemung County, and later he attended Lima 
Seminary, in Livingston County. His first busi- 
ness e.xperience was gained in the town of Cat- 
lin, where he remained two years, meantime 
gaining an accurate knowledge of lumbering. In 
1 86 1 he became a member of a regimental band, 
being a first-class musician. He was attached to 
the Forty-eighth New York Infantry, and .served 
for thirteen months. 

In 1863 Mr. Frost came to Watkins and .started 
in the marble and granite business, which he car- 
ried on several years. His next enterpri.se was 
the building of a foundry and machine-shop, the 
plant being near the track of the Northern Cen- 
tral Depot. There he manufactured agricultural 
implements and did a general jobbing business. 
Later he built the Schuxler Gristmill, which he 
has operated in connection with his other inter- 
ests, giving employment to a number of men. 



He owns the old homestead, which consi.sts of 
one hundred and fifty-six acres, and is in a high 
state of cultivation. 

In 1863 Mr. Frost was united in marriage with 
Miss Theresa, daughter of George Fro.st, of 
Schuyler County. The\- have six sons, George 
W., John E., Willis L., Charles H., Frank A. 
and Glen H. In politics he affiliates with the 
Republican party, and upon that ticket he has 
been elected to numerous local offices of tru.st, 
including that of Supervisor of the town of Dix, 
which he held for four terms. Socially he is a 
member of D. W. Washburn Post No. 515, 
G. A. R. 

Glen Park Hotel, which has been conducted by 
Mr. Fro^t since 1876, was built by Colonel Frost, 
his great-uncle, who in his day was one of the 
most prominent residents of the county. The 
hotel, which is situated near the entrance to the 
famous Watkins Glen, has recently been re- 
modeled and refurnished, and is first-class in 
every respect. Its well kept lawns, highly orna- 
mented grounds, broad piazzas, airy rooms, 
shady walks, superior springs of pure water, and, 
above all, its magnetic and sulphur springs, have 
brought it into prominence throughout the entire 
country, and ever)- summer large numbers of peo- 
ple gather here, representing all the states in the 
Union. The high position occupied by the hotel 
among similar places in this locality proves that 
the proprietor is a man of energy, e.xcellent judg- 
ment and genial manners. 






gEORGE ARNOLD BELLOWS, M. D. To 
those who, starting in life without any of 
those factitious helps that sometimes usher 
a young man into public notice, achieve success 
by energy and determination, great credit is due 
for what they have accomplished through their 



422 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



untiring efiforts. In these paragraphs we give an 
outline of the history of one who early in life was 
obliged to steer his craft upon the wide ocean of 
life, to either sink beneath its billows, or, by the 
inherent power of native talent and indomitable 
will, rise superior to the surroundings and become 
the architect of his own fortune. He has gained 
success, and is well known as one of the promi- 
nent and able physicians of Waterloo, where he 
has conducted a general practice since 1881. 

Born June 6, 1856, the Doctor is a native of 
the village of Seneca Falls. His parents, Will- 
iam L. and Caroline (Plate) Bellows, were born 
in this state, the former being the son of William 
E. Bellows, of English lineage. They now make 
their home in Seneca Falls, Seneca County, N. Y. 
Their children were four in number, two sons and 
two daughters, of whom the Doctor is the eldest. 
He passed his boyhood days in Seneca Falls, 
where he attended the public schools and acad- 
emy, gaining a good literary education. 

Under the supervision of Dr. Elias Eester, of 
Seneca Falls, our subject commenced thestudj- of 
medicine, later continuing with A. E. Chapoton, 
M. D., of Detroit, Mich. Subsequently he took 
three full courses of lectures at the Detroit Medi- 
cal College, from which he was graduated March 
II, 1 88 1, and since May i of that j-ear has prac- 
ticed medicine in Waterloo. Through attention 
to every duty and the mo.st careful treatment of 
his patients, he has built up a large practice in 
this village and the .surrounding country. He is 
a member of the Seneca County Medical Associa- 
tion, of which he was President in 1884; and is 
also a member of the New York State Medical 
Association and the American Medical A.ssocia- 
tion. From 1884 until 1892 he was physician of 
the Seneca County Almshouse; Health Officer of 
Waterloo in 1882 and 1883; United States Pen- 
sion Examining vSurgeon from 1887 until 1895, 
being now President of the Board; and has been 
Coroner of Seneca County since 1882. 

September 27, 1877, Dr. Bellows was united in 
marriage with Miss Hattie M., daughter of John 
S. Palmer, of Seneca Falls. In everything per- 
taining to the progress of the village the Doctor 
is interested, and his co-operation is always to be 



relied upon in matters for the public welfare. In 
educational affairs he is especially interested, and 
has been Secretary of the Board of Trustees of 
Waterloo Academy since 1891. Socially he is 
affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the 
Knights of the Maccabees. As might be ex- 
pected of one of his progressive tendencies, he 
keeps abreast with the latest developments in the 
medical science, and holds membership in the 
Seneca County, New York State, andAmeiican 
Medical Societies. 



v(g), ^^hh.... ^@ J 



(W 



lfiijrgi^J;J§ 



^ 



(TAMES WAUGH, one of the leading agricult- 
I urists of Schuyler County, makes a special- 
(2/ ty of breeding Cotswold sheep, which he 
ships in large numbers to the city markets each 
year. For a number of years he has also been 
interested in general farming, and the communit}' 
in which he resides recognizes in him one of its 
mcst enterprising and substantial citizens. He 
is widely known throughout this county, and we 
feel assured that this record of his life will prove 
of interest to our readers. Mr. Waugh is Justice 
of the Peace, which position he fills to the sati.s- 
faction of all most concerned and with credit to 
himself 

The subject of this sketch was born across the 
seas, in County Tyrone, Ireland, March 20, 1834, 
his parents being James and Margaret Waugh. 
They left their native land in 1840 and chose for 
their future home Schuyler Countj'. They at 
once located on a farm in the town of Orange, 
two and one half miles from where our subject is 
now residing, and of which the latter now owns 
ninety-two acres. The father pos.sessed about 
$250 in money when he came to this country, 
which he very wisely invested in land. In this 
undertaking he was very successful, and, being a 
hardworking and enterprising man, accumulated 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



423 



a handsome fortune. He lived in the town of 
Orange until his decease, which occurred in Feb- 
ruarj", 1887, on reaching the remarkable age of 
ninet\--six years. When his sons were ready to 
embaik in life for themselves, he gave them a 
piece of property, which was widely different from 
the help he received from his parents. 

The mother of our subject departed this life in 
1857, and Mr. Waugh chose for his .second com- 
panion Mrs. Armstrong, who died two years later. 
To James and Margaret Waugh there were born 
the following sons and daughters: Mary, the wife 
of Ale.xander Henderson, who resides in the town 
of Orange, this county; Elizabeth, who married 
James Scott, but is now deceased; Margaret, 
Mrs. William Love, of Tyrone; William, who 
married Margaret Huey, of Orange, and makes 
his home in the town of Dix; James, our subject; 
and Jane, who died when eighteen years of age. 
The father of this family was a consistent mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with 
which denomination hij good wife was also con- 
nected. 

James was reared on the farm settled by his 
father, and, on the death of the latter, purchased 
the interest of his brothers and si.sters in the es- 
tate. He cultivated the tract until 1871, having 
resided thereon for a period of thirty years, and 
then moved onto his present farm of ninety acres, 
also in the town of Orange. It bears the finest 
improvements in the way of buildings and ma- 
chinery, and for the past four years Mr. Waugh 
has been giving the greater part of his time and 
attention to breeding Cotswold sheep, keeping a 
flock of over two hundred of these animals. He 
exhibits his stock at the county fairs and very 
.seldom fails to carry off the finst prize. He still 
has posisession of the old homestead, which he 
keeps for pasture for his stock, and all the grain 
and hay which he uses is fed to these animals. 

The lady to whom Mr. Waugh was married 
in January, 1862, was Miss Jane vStewart, of the 
town of Reading. Of their children, we mention 
the following: William S. is engaged in the drug 
bu.siness in Watkins. Ercderick Lee was killed 
by lightning, June 5, 1890, while building a fence 
on the old home farm. He was struck while in 



the act of sharpening a .stake with an axe, and 
when found, a half-hour later, .still had this tool 
in his hand. Although not a member of any 
particular church, this young man was a great 
worker in the Sunday-school and was very prom- 
inent in all the entertainments given by the young 
people. He po.ssessed good habits and was one 
of the rising young men of the connnunity. At 
the time of his decease, he was in his twenty- 
fourth year and had always lived at home. Mar- 
garet, Ida and Edward are at home with the fa- 
ther, and Mi.ss Ida is engaged in teaching .school. 
Ernest, the youngest of the household, died when 
two 5'ears of age. 

Our subject has always been very prominent in 
local affairs and was elected Justice of the Peace 
on the Democratic ticket. He has often repre- 
sented his party in county conventions, and is 
considered an ardent worker in the ranks of the 
party. In Sugar Hill Presbyterian Church, of 
which he is a member, he is filling the office of 
Trustee. vSocially he is a Mason of high .stand- 
ing and an active worker in the fraternitv. 




EODFREY SELMSER. The milling bu.siness, 
which is one of the important industries of 
Waterloo, has a successful and able repre- 
sentative in the subject of this sketch, wdio is the 
principal memljerof the firm of G. Selmser & Co., 
and proprietor of the mills operated under that 
name. He began in this business in 1880, and 
has gradually increased his trade, until he now 
ranks among the leading men in his line in the 
count)'. The mills are operated by water and 
steam power and have a capacity of one hundred 
barrels in twenty-four hours, Boston being the 
principal market for the products. 

A native of New York, our subject was born 
in Fulton County, October 23, 1818. The fam- 
ily is of German origin, and was originally repre- 



424 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORl). 



sen ted in America by his grandfather, Henry, 
who came to the United States in boyhood. The 
father of our subject, Martin, was born in Mont- 
gomerj- County, N. Y., in 1770, and throughout 
his entire h'fe engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
As the country was then new, he experienced all 
the hardships incident to life on the frontier, des- 
titute of even those things which we consider 
necessities to day. His wife, Susan, was born in 
Montgomerj' County in 1776, and was a daughter 
of John Moore, a native of Germany. 

The boyhood years of our subject were unevent- 
full}- passed on his father's farm, and his educa- 
tion was gained principalh- in the district schools 
and Johnstown Academy. On completing his 
studies he taught for two years in Montgomerj- 
and Seneca Counties, coming to the latter place 
in 1844. He is proud of the fact that before leav- 
ing Fulton County the last thing he did was to 
vote for Henry Clay for President. For seven 
years after coming here he engaged in farming. 
In the winter of 1852 he embarked in the dry- 
goods business in Waterloo, and has since carried 
on a large trade in that line. In 1880 he en- 
larged his interest by purchasing the mill which 
he has since operated. As a business man, he 
has always displaj-ed keenness of judgment and 
promptness in action, and his enterprises have 
almost invariably proved successful. 

Interested in everything that pertains to the 
welfare of the people, and especially in educational 
matters, Mr. Selmser served for thirty consecu- 
tive years in the capacity of Trustee of the public 
schools of Waterloo. His marriage, which took 
place in 1845, united him with Miss Christiana 
Kuney, who was born in Seneca County, being a 
daughter of Benjamin Kuuey. They are the 
parents of two children, of whom the daughter, 
Emma L-, is with her parents. The son, Benja- 
min F., who is in partnership with his father, 
married Miss Mary Hoster, daughter of Henry 
Hoster, who belongs to one of the prominent old 
families of this county. They have one daughter 
and two sons: Abigail, born in 1884; Edward 
Godfrey, in 1885; and Benjamin Franklin in 
1887. 

While Mr. Selmser has always been too en- 



grossed by his many business duties to give spe- 
cial attention to politics, he is, nevertheless, well 
informed regarding the great questions of the 
day, and in his political sentiments favors the 
principles of the Republican party. With his 
wife, he holds membership in the Disciples Church 
of Waterloo, which was organized in 1853, and 
with the history of which his name is indissolubly 
associated . For some years he has served as El- 
der in the church, and in other waj's has promoted 
the welfare of the congregation. 



P- 



.^^!||^ 



■j:r) 



^ 



I EWIS HANMER. We give in brief the life 
It hi.story of Mr. Hanmer. whose present sub- 
LJ stantial position has been reached almost en- 
tirely through his own perseverance. He has 
followed agricultural pursuits all his life, and 
bears a high reputation for honesty and integrity in 
all his dealings with his fellow-meu. He has 
hosts of friends in this locality, whose confidence 
and esteem are his highest eulogium. Mr. Han- 
mer is the owner of an estate containing one hun- 
dred and sixty-five acres in the town of Tyrone, 
Schuyler Countj-, which is well improved. 

Our subject was born in this town, June i, 
1822. His father, Jabez Hanmer, was born in 
New York, while his mother, whose maiden 
name was Nellie Maxfield, was born in Genesee 
County. Jabez Hanmer and his wife came to 
this locality about 1817, from a point near Ithaca. 
They made their home in the town of Tyrone, 
which was then included within the boundary of 
Steuben Countj-, and continued to reside there 
until their death, the father passing away when 
seventy-eight years of age, and the mother sur- 
viving until attaining the advanced age of eighty- 
five years. 

To the parents of our subject there were born 
four sons and four daughters, of whom Lewis is 
the sixth in order of birth. He was reared on 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, 



425 



his father's farm in tlie town of Tyrone, and was 
educated in the schools of that locality. Upon 
attaining his twenty-sixth year he was married, 
and after remaining with his parents for five 
years he purchased a tract of land in the town of 
Reading and resided upon it for a period of thir- 
teen years. In the spring of 1865 he returned to 
Tyrone and took up his abode on the farm where 
he now resides, and which was formerly owned by 
the late Henry Heist. 

The lady to whom Mr. Hanmer was married, 
November 30, 1848, was Miss Caroline Heist, the 
daughter of Henry and Hannah (Washburn) 
Heist. Mrs. Hanmer was born in the eastern 
portion of this state, November 22, 1826, and was 
in her seventh year when brought by her parents 
to Tyrone. To Mr. and Mrs. Hanmer there 
were born six children, of whom we make the 
following mention: George A. married Cordelia 
Hicks, and lives in Havana; Jabez W. chose for 
his wife Miss Carrie Rapolee, and is at present 
residing in Dundee; Henry died in infancy; Nel- 
lie H. is the wife of C. M. Earnest; Fred married 
Lulu Huey; and Mary died in infancy. 

In politics Mr. Haimier is a strong supporter 
of Republican principles, and his vote has ever 
been cast with that party. Although never seek- 
ing public office, he is a liberal contributor to the 
interests of the community in which he lives, and 
an earnest advocate of all good works. 




(iGHN O'CONNELL. Among the natives of 
I other countries who have come to America 
Q) hoping to gain here the independence denied 
them in their own land, niaj- be mentioned the 
name of JohnO'Connell, who has made his home 
in Seneca County for nearly a cjuarter of a cent- 
ury. He is a native of Ireland, and was there 
reared to manhood, without, however, ha\ing 



any educational advantages, as his parents were 
poor and he w^as obliged to support himself from 
an early age. 

Having decided to .seek a home in the New 
World, Mr. O'Connell crossed the Atlantic in 
1854, taking passage on a .sailing-vessel that 
landed him in New York after an uneventful voy- 
age. For a number of years he resided in vari- 
ous places, wherever he could find honest employ- 
ment. In 1872 he settled in Seneca County, 
where he has since resided. Two years after 
coming hither, he purchased a farm in the town 
of Romulus, and upon this place he has since en- 
gaged as a tiller of the soil. 

The marriage of Mr. O'Connell united him 
with Miss Ellen Burns, who, like himself, was a 
native of the Emerald Isle. On emigrating to 
the United States she took passage on a sailing- 
vessel, and after a voyage of nine weeks and three 
daj's landed in this country. Nine children were 
born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. O'Connell, of 
whom six are living: John, Patrick, Matthew, 
Thomas, Edward and Mary. Since becoming a 
naturalized American citizen, our subject has al- 
lied hiuLself with the Democratic part}-, and its 
principles he always upholds. 




QOSEPH GERMAIN WRIGHT has long 
I been known as one of the prominent and 
0/ public-spirited men of Waterloo. He be- 
longs to a goodly list, and casts no discredit upon 
his associates. A native of this village, he was 
born July 23, 1842, his parents being Joseph and 
Celia (Conant) Wright. His father, who was 
formerly one of the prominent men of the place, 
was born in Herkimer County. He came to 
Waterloo in the pride and vigor of early manhood, 
and engaged in nianufiicturing yeast for distilling 
purposes, and in all his enterprises was highly 



426 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI^ RECORD. 



successful, not onl\' accumulating property rap- 
idly, but niauifestiiig on all occasions a public 
spirit and a readiness to assist in all undertakings 
for the good of the community that at once won 
for him the warm friendship of all others who 
were like-minded. It is the general testimony 
that he was most benevolent in his character, had 
a kind heart, and was never so happy as when 
his home was full and overflowing with friends 
and relatives. Those who were so fortunate as 
to share his hospitality knew that he was anxious 
to spare no pains and avoid no trouble that would 
contribute to their comfort and pleasure. His 
home was au elegant and commodious brick 
structure, standing in spacious grounds, finely fit- 
ted up, where for years he led a useful and inspir- 
ing life. He died on the 7th of June, 1871, missed 
and mourned by all. To the Presbyterian Church, 
which was his preference, he was a liberal con- 
tributor. As we may well imagine, the wife of 
such a man was in her.self an estimable character, 
and she graced the home his business abilities 
provided. They were married about 1830, and 
she died in 1889. 

Joseph G. Wright, the subject of this article, 
was reared in his native village, and began his 
school life in the American university — the pub- 
lic school. He was an attendant for some time 
upon the private school kept bj' Dr. Prentiss in 
Geneva, and finished his studies at Waterloo 
Academy. Leaving school, he began his busi- 
ness career b}' assisting his father in his many 
business interests, and here he continued as long 
as his father lived. The latter was the inventor 
of a process in the manufacture of yeast for the 
use of distilleries, a process which added greatly 
to the yield, which was almost indispensable to 
large operations, and the secret of which he kept 
zealously to himself. After the death of his father, 
Mr. Wright contiiuied the business for himself 
until 1891, when he closed it out. From 1871 to 
1 89 1 he was closely associated in large interests 
in th» direction of developing the u.se of this 
process with parties in Peoria, Chicago and other 
cities. 

At present Mr. Wright is largely interested in 
the oil business in Venango Covinty, Pa., princi- 



pally in the sinking of oil-wells, whose product is 
a superior quality of oil. He has other enter- 
pri.ses, which still employ all his surplus energies 
and keep him busy to the last. He is a Director 
of the First National Bank of Waterloo, aad is 
known as a thoroughly competent business man. 
Politically he is a strong Democrat, and his voice 
has not been silent in determining local develop- 
ment. 

In 1862 Mr. Wright and Miss Man,- E. Wood, 
daughter of James Wood, of Waterloo, were mar- 
ried. They have two children, both girls, Nellie 
W. and Mary M., and their home is a fine, sub- 
stantial brick structure on the principal residence 
.street of the village. 



s^^^ 



HON. OLIVER P. HURD possesses in an 
eminent degree those qualities of mind 
which are so essential to success in profes- 
sional or business life — industry and a large share 
of conmion-sense, coupled with a detennined will 
and unflinching integrity. In the possession of 
these sterling qualities the problem of success is 
easily solved, and it need not be considered as 
evidence of unusual foresight to predict for him 
who possesses them a pro.sperous career. Judge 
Hurd is a man who has been very successful, but 
whose success has been achieved by energy and 
perseverance. Since 1865 he has been a practic- 
ing attorney of U'atkins, and is recognized as one 
of the most influential men of this village. 

The parents of the Judge, William A. and Jane 
(Neal) Hurd, were natives, re.spectively, of Clin- 
ton, Middlesex County, Conn., and Lodi, Seneca 
County, N. Y., the latter being a daughter of 
Isaac and Elizabeth Neal. The Hurd family 
traces its ancestry to Ebenezer Hurd, a native of 
Wales, who settled in America early in the sev- 
enteenth centurv. His son Daniel married Dor- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



427 



othy Leete, a great-granddaughter of Gov. Will- 
iam Leete, who came from England to this coun- 
try in 1638, and settled in Connecticut. In the 
early histor\- of the colony he was very prominent, 
and held office of various kinds for a period of 
forty years, among them being the position of 
Governor. Educated as a lawyer, he was a man 
of scholarly attainments. While in England he 
was for some time clerk in the Bishop's Court, 
and in that .service became acquainted with the 
conduct of the bishops towards the Puritans. He 
observed the great severity which the courts dis- 
played toward them, and this brought him to a 
.serious consideration of the matter, and induced 
him to acquaint himself more thoroughly with 
the doctrines and discipline of this people. In 
consequence of his investigations he became a 
Puritan, left the Bishop's Court, and in 1638 
came to New England with Mr. Whitfield and 
his company In 1643 he was chosen Magistrate 
for the colony of New Haven, and was annually 
re-elected until May, 1658. For a period of forty 
years he was Magistrate, Deputj'-Governor or 
Governor of one of the Connecticut colonies. He 
died in Hartford. His mother, Anna vSchute, was 
a daughter of one of the Justices of the King's 
Bench of England. 

Ebenezer Hurd was one of three brothers who 
emigrated from Wales to America. His son 
Daniel, above named, was the father of Capt. 
Caleb Leete Hurd, whose title was gained by his 
service in the Connecticut militia during the Rev- 
olutionary War. The latter was born in Con- 
necticut January 23, i 753, and was married, May 
4, 1775, to Mary Griswold, by whom he had thir- 
teen children. His son EHas was born April 6, 
1780, and died November 25, 1840. Wlien a lad 
of sixteen years he sailed on a voj'age to China, 
going around Cape Horn, being absent three years. 
Afterward he became a sea-captain, and in the 
War of 18 1 2 with England his vessel, a merchant- 
man, was captured by an English man-of-war and 
he and his crew were made prisoners. Thej- were 
sent to the Bermuda Islands, but were afterward 
exchanged. He married Mary Griffith, daugh- 
ter of Thomas Griffith. William A. , son of Capt. 
Elias Hurd, and our subject's father, was born 



December 13, 1809, and after marriage settled on 
a farm near Burdett, N. Y., where he still resides, 
being now in his eighty-sixth year. For many 
j-ears he followed the carpenter's trade, was Post- 
master under President Harrison, and is now en- 
gaged in merchandising. 

The maternal ancestors of our subject were of 
Scotch birth, and were represented among the 
early settlers of New Jersey. John Neal, our 
subject's great-grandfather, enlisted in the Revo- 
lutionary War at the age of sixteen years, and 
served until the close of the struggle. He was 
with General Wa.shington when the army crossed 
the Delaware River and defeated and captured a 
thousand Hessian prisoners. In a number of the 
most important engagements of the war he took 
an active part. For several years after his death 
his widow was in receipt of a pension. 

The subject of this sketch was born in the vil- 
lage of Burdett, town of Hector, Schuyler Coun- 
ty, N. Y., December 11, 1838, and is the eldest 
of four children who attained mature years. 
There were originally six in the family, but one 
brother died at the age of si.Kteen and one sister 
in childhood. Oliver P. attended the public 
schools of Burdett in boyhood, and afterward 
was a student in Ovid Academy, later carried on 
his studies in the seminary at Lima, N. Y., and 
then entered the Genesee College at the same 
place, where he remained for two )-ears. In 
1864-65 he was employed as clerk in the office of 
Hon. William Fessenden, then Secretary of the 
United States Treasury. Prior to his stay in 
Washington, D. C, he studied law with Hon. 
John J. \'an Allen and was admitted to the Bar 
in 1864. The following year he opened a law 
office at Watkins, where he has since conducted 
a general practice, extending into all the courts. 

While the details connected with his large law 
practice occupy Judge Hurd's attention closeh-, 
yet they have not prevented him from participa- 
ting in public affiiirs. In 1867 he was elected 
District Attorney, and served in that capacity for 
three years. In 1876 he was chosen County 
Judge and Surrogate, and .served with efficiency 
for six years, when he resumed his law practice. 
In politics he is an advocate of Republican prin- 



428 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ciples. He has served as Trustee of the village 
and has also been a member of the Board of 
Water and Sewer Commission. 

In March, 1865, Miss Cynthia A., ilan<;hter of 
Watson Disbrow, became the wife of Judge Hard. 
She died September 21, 1869, leaving a son, Will- 
iam D., who is now a student n his father's office. 

In 187 1 Judge Hurd married Mi.ss Louisa C. 
Boyd, of Washington, D. C. Her father, vStorm 
Van Derzee Boyd, was a son of General Boyd, an 
influential citizen of Schoharie County, and Con- 
gressman from his district. Judge and Mrs. 
Hurd have two daughters and two sons, namely: 
Hebe L., Oliver P., Jennie B. and John S. 

vSocially Judge Hurd is identified with Jefferson 
Lodge No. 332, F. & A. M., at Watkins. He is 
the owner of a fine farm, upon which he engages 
in breeding registered trotting-horses, having in- 
troduced some of the finest horses ever brought 
into this county. In securing railroads and aid- 
ing other enterprises for the benefit of Watkins, 
he has taken an active part. He is one of the 
Directors of the Watkins & Havana Electric 
Railroad Company, and has taken an interested 
part in this enterpri.se, which, when completed, 
will be one of the mo.st important factors in the 
progress of the village. As a Republican he is 
recognized as one of the strong and influential 
members of his party in this part of the state. As 
an advocate he is logical, eloquent and forcible 
before court and jury. 






ELARENCE A. MAC DONALD. There is 
no legal firm in Seneca Falls that is more 
widely or favorably known throughout this 
section of New York than the Mac Donald Broth- 
ers, of which the subject of this sketch is the 
senior member. Having been a lifelong resi- 
dent of this village, he has gained a wide ac- 



quaintance among the people of this locality, and 
is well respected as a man of high talents and 
broad information. 

Born in this village April 3, 1856, our subject 
is the son of Col. James H. and Ulissa P. (Baker) 
Mac Donald. His father, who was born in New 
York State in 1828, was one of the brave defend- 
ers of the Union during the Rebellion. At the 
outbreak of the war he assisted in raising Com- 
pany K, F'iftieth New York Engineers, and was 
mustered into the service as First Lieutenant. In 
1862 he was promoted to the rank of Captain of 
his company, and in 1864 became Major of the 
regiment. The following year he was breveted 
Lieutenant-Colonel of the United States Volun- 
teers. For four years he served his country 
faithfully and well, taking part in many import- 
ant engagements. At the close of the war he 
was honorabh- discharged, and, returning to his 
home in Seneca Falls, resumed his business, which 
had been interrupted by army .service. He is 
still living in this village, and is engaged in a 
general insurance business. 

The subject of this .sketch received his primary 
education in the public .schools of Seneca Falls, 
and later entered Rochester Free Academy, after 
which he entered the University of Rochester, 
from which institution he was graduated in 1880. 
Returning to Seneca Flails, he served as Principal 
of the public .schools for two years. He then 
read law with Charles A. Hawley, a prominent 
attorney of this place, and was admitted to prac- 
tice in January, 1884, before the Supreme Court 
at Syracu.se, N. Y. On receiving his diploma 
he opened an office in his native village, and for 
five years continued in practice alone, when, in 
1S89, he formed a partnership with his brother, 
William S. Mac Donald, under the firm name of 
Mac Donald Brothers. They have built up a 
large practice in the various courts of the state, 
and also in the federal courts. Mr. Mac Donald 
is well read in law and is considered a safe coun- 
selor and a good advocate before a jury. Fra- 
ternally he is a member of Pocahontas Lodge No. 
211, F. & A. M. 

In 1889 Mr. Mac Donald was united in mar- 
, riage with Miss Agnes J. Davis, a daughter of 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



429 



James Davis, of Seneca Falls, and they have one 
son, Stewart C. Politically Mr. Mac Donald is 
recognized as one of the leaders of the Republi- 
can party in the county. 



'^ 






. UGENE N. BOLT, a representative farmer 
^ and dairsinan of the town of Dix, was born 
^ in Schuyler County, November 12, 1846, 
and was the only child of his parents who lived 
to maturity. One sister, Emma J. , died at the age 
of six years. His father was also a native of this 
county, while his grandfather, William Bolt, was 
a native of Saratoga County. The latter came to 
this county when a young man, and here married 
Sarah Van Zandt, who was born in the eastern 
part of the state. Grandfather Bolt was an exten- 
•sive farmer in this .section of the country, owning 
some four hundred acres of land, together with a 
saw and grist mill, which were the first mills in 
this section of the countr\-. They were built by 
James \'an Zandt, the great-grandfather of our 
subject, who was a millwright bj' profession. 
The Van Zandt family is well remembered by the 
early settlers in this county. 

Our subject's father married Ruth Pangborne, 
a daughter of John and Maria Pangborne, who 
were also natives of this counts'. After their 
marriage, they located on a farm of four hundred 
acres in the town of Dix, which the former pro- 
ceeded to clear and cultivate. For many years 
he occupied a prominent jiosition in the county, 
and was an influential man, making a success in 
life, and hi)lding a number of town offices. In 
politics he was a Democrat. He died on the old 
homestead in 1S90, at the age of sixty-two years, 
and his wife died iii/ 1885. Both are burierl in 
Lima Cemetery, near Watkins. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood 
on his father's farm, and was educated in the 

17 



common schools. In early" manhood he took 
charge of the home place, and has here since con- 
tinued to reside, it being the only home that he 
has ever known. His farm con.sists of four hun- 
dred acres of good land, and for the past six 
years, in addition to his general farming, he has 
given special attention to dairying, and is pro- 
prietor of the Hillside Dairy. He furnishes milk 
to the village of Watkins, running two wagons, 
and for tw^o years has furnished milk to the sani- 
tarium. He has thirty-five head of cows, one- 
half of which are Jerseys, and also has a large 
number of full-blooded Shropshire .sheep. Be- 
sides his other interests, he also gives some atten- 
tion to the raising of fine horses, formerly mak- 
ing a specialty of Hambletonians, but of late has 
raised Percherons. Mr. Bolt has had little time 
to give to politics, but has held local offices, and 
for the past fifteen years has voted the Prohibi- 
tion ticket. 



— K 




■.tC» — 



HON. BEN L. SWARTWOOD, a leading 
and representative citizen of Schuyler Coun- 
ty, who has for many years been engaged 
in the mercantile trade at Cayuta, is a native of 
the village, born October 29, 1854, in the old 
Swartwood Hotel, and is a son of Charles R. 
Swartwood, a native of .Schuyler County. His 
boyhood was spent luider the ])arental roof and in 
attending the district school until fifteen \ears of 
age, when he entered Elmira Academy, and from 
there went to the State Normal School at Mans- 
field, Pa., where he took a three-years course. 
On returning home he entered the store of his 
grandfather, Leroy Wood, at Cayuta, who estab- 
lished the business in 1830. Here he remained 
until 1875. wlien he went to Rutherford, N. J., 
and there engaged with his uncle as buyer for 
the general store and as bookkeeper. After re- 



430 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



maining there two years, he returned home, with 
the intention of going to California to take charge 
of the books of a large packing establishment in 
that state, but was dissuaded by his parents, who 
induced him to remain and enter the employ 
of his uncle, John Wood, who succeeded his 
grandfather, Leroy Wood. For two years he re- 
mained in the employ of his uncle, and then took 
charge of the old Swartwood Hotel, where he 
was born. June i, 1880, he purchased the stock 
of goods in the old store which was founded by 
his grandfather, and where he spent his first 
years of mercantile life. 

Mr. Swartwood was married. May 28, 1878, to 
Miss Sadie M. Burden, who was born in Penn 
Yan, Yates County, N. Y., and who is a daugh- 
ter of George W. and Ann (Shumaker) Burden. 
By this union one daughter was born, Annie B., 
who is now being educated at the academy of 
Ehnira. 

Notwithstanding his business interests, Mr. 
Swartwood has ever felt it his duty to be actively 
engaged in political affairs. He is a thorough 
and consistent Democrat, and has advocated the 
principles of that party from his youth. His 
ability as a leader has been recognized by his 
party associates, not only of the town of Cayuta, 
but of the county as well, and for the past five 
years he has been Chairman of the Democratic 
County Committee. Although Schuyler County 
has always had a large Republican majority, he 
has held nearly all of the local oflSces, and has 
been honored by appointment from both the state 
and general Government. In 1878 he was elect- 
ed Supervisor of his town, .serving three years, 
and in 1886 was re-elected, serving continuously 
for five year.s. In 1876 he was appointed Post- 
master of Cayuta, which position he has held for 
a period of twenty years, regardless of change of 
administration. In that year he al.so received 
the appointment of Notary Public, which office 
he has .since continued to hold, and in 1890 was 
appointed by the Governor one of the managers 
of the State Reformatory at Elmira. 

In addition to his mercantile interests at Cay- 
uta, Mr. Swartwood has landed inteiests in 
Tompkins, Seneca and Schuyler Counties, own- 



ing in all between five and six hundred acres of 
land, besides his fine residence and other proper- 
ty in the village. He is a member of Chemung 
Council No. 208, of Ehnira. Mr. Swartwood has 
been eminently successful in business and carries 
a complete and well selected assortment of gen- 
eral merchandise, representing a stock of over 
$10,000. His business has been an extensive 
one, and that he has the confidence of the com- 
munity is attested by the fact of his large and 
constantly' increasing trade. 




gEORGE DECKER, a retired farmer, is a 
man known all over Seneca County. He 
was born on his pre.sent farm in the town of 
Tyre, March 25, 1820, and was one of several 
children born to Jeremiah and Nancy (Bishop) 
Decker, who were people in moderate circum- 
stances. Early in life our subject was taught the 
value of time and money. 

Jeremiah Decker was born in the State of Ver- 
mont, and in the year i8io came to Seneca 
County. Soon thereafter he was drafted into the 
War of 1812 and served with his regiment for two 
summers. He was born in 1780, and was there- 
fore thirty-two years of age on the outbreak 01 
that conflict. Btfore going into the army he 
was married to the widow of Joseph South- 
well. Previous to her first marriage she was 
known as Nancy Bishop, and her birth occurred 
in Washington County, N. Y. Her first hus- 
band lived but a few years, and at the time of his 
death she was living upon the estate which our 
subject now owns. 

The parental household included si.x children, 
of whom George, of this sketch, was the fourth- 
born, and besides his brother Truman is the only 
survivor. The latter is also a resident of this 
town and is in good circumstances. The hu.sband 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



431 



and father departed this life in 1865, and was 
universally mourned. In politics he was a Re- 
publican, and on that ticket filled many of the 
positions of trust in his locality. 

The subject of this sketch was born on the 
home place, where he was reared by a loving 
father and mother He attended the schools of 
the district, and when twenty -one years of age 
began to do for himself, working out by the 
month. He continued to be thus occupied for 
four years, during which time he sa\-ed the greater 
part of his earnings and made the first payment 
on ninety-two and one-half acres of laud which 
he purchased in the town of Junius. By indus- 
try and economy he paid for this tract six months 
sooner than he had agreed to. Selling out soon 
afterward, however, he bought fifty acres in the 
same town, which he made his home for a period 
of two years, when he disposed of this also, and 
moved with his family to Fairfax Court House, 
Va. Being dissatisfied with the place, he soon 
disposed of his real-estate interests, and, return- 
ing to his native county, became the owner of one 
hundred acres in the town of Waterloo. After 
a residence of two years on this place he sold out 
again, and, moving into the village of Waterloo, 
established himself in the grocerj' business. This 
inve.stment proved to be a failure, and in less 
than a year we find him engaged as a blacksmith 
and wagon-maker. Some eight months there- 
after he traded his stock for an eight\--acre farm 
near Grand Rapids, Mich., but this was only an 
investment, and he did not move his family to 
that state, but traded his property there for forty 
acres in the town of Seneca Falls. 

His parents being advanced in years, George 
went home and cared for them until their decease. 
His father departed this life in 1865, and he then 
purchased the interests of his brothers and sisters 
in the place, and has since that time made it his 
home. He was married, when about twenty-six 
years of age, to Miss Martha, daughter of John 
and Polly (McNeil) Magee. Their union was 
blessed b\- the birth of five children. Jennie, who 
married John Thorn, is li\ing in the town of 
Junius and is the mother of two children. Carrie 
married Wilbur Hill, and their home is at Magee 



Corners, where Mr. Hill is engaged in the grocery 
business: they have one son. George died in 
infancy. Fred is married and makes his home 
in Bureau County, 111., where he is a farmer: he 
is the father of a sou. 

In 1 84 1 Mr. Decker voted for Clay, but since 
that time has been a stanch supporter of Repub- 
lican principles and candidates. For three terms 
he has been A.ssessor, and has filled the office of 
Road Commi.ssioner for a period of ten years. 
As a member of the Magee Corners Grange, he 
has filled most of the offices in the order, and is 
at present a member of the Executive Committee 
of that body. His devoted wife departed this 
life May 9, 1893. vShe had been to him a true 
helpmate on his journey through life, and her 
presence in the household is greatly missed. 



I®). ^mkPs .(e)J 



0ANIEL F. EVERTS, M. D. The county 
of Seneca has a fair share of the repre.senta- 
tives of the medical profession of New York 
State, and among these mention belongs to Dr. 
Everts, of Romulus, a physician of recognized 
skill and ability, whose success in the ])rotession 
has won for him distinction among other members 
of the fraternity, and has also brought to him a 
large and profitable jiractice throughout his part 
of the count\-. Aside from his talent as a phy- 
sician, he is entitled to distinction owing to his 
valuable services in the Union army during the 
period of the Rebellion, when, though onl\- a lad 
in his teens, he enlisted in the service and fought 
valiantly for the preservation of the Union. 

The birth of Dr. liverts occurred in the town 
of Hector, Schuyler Count}-, N. V., I'\bruary 
13, 1844. His parents were Curran and Mary 
A. (Dickerson) Ivverts, natives of Schuyler 
County, and Morris Count\-, N. J., respectively. 



432 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the father following the occupation of a teacher 
throughout the most of his active life in his native 
county. There were three children in the family, 
but one died in infancy, and James D., a retired 
teacher, and our subject are the only survivors. 
The last-named passed his boyhood days un- 
eventfully on a farm, the only change in hisdailj^ 
routine being funii.shed by occasional attendance 
at the district schools. 

His patriotic spirit aroused by the Rebellion, 
our subject determined to assist in defeating the 
Confederacy. Accordingly, in February, 1863, 
he enlisted as a private in Company I, Fourth 
Heavy Artillery, and was mustered into the 
service at Washington, D. C, from which place 
he marched with the regiment to the front. He 
took part in the memorable battles of the Wilder- 
ness and Spottsylvania, later was at Cold Harbor, 
Deep Bottom, Petersburg, Reams Station, and 
other important skirmishes or famous battles. 
The winter of 1864-65 was spent in winter quar- 
ters at Petersburg, and in the spring he took part 
in the battles of Sutherland Station, New Store 
and Appomattox. He endured all the hardships 
of the forced march from Cold Harbor to Cit}- 
Point, when the men were put on short rations. 
He also took part in the second forced march of 
the company, which was from Deep Bottom to 
Reams Station. From the ranks he was promoted 
to the position of Corporal, in recognition of his 
fidelity. While assisting in tearing up the rail- 
road at Reams Station, in order to prevent trans- 
portation of Southern troops, he was injured, 
though not seriously. At the close of the war 
he was honorably discharged at Hart Island, 
October 5, 1865. ! 

On returning to his home in Schuyler County, 
our subject entered a private .school, where he 
remained one year. From 1866 until 1872 he 
taught .school. It was not, however, his inten- 
tion to make this his permanent profession, but 
he used it as a stepping-stone to the medical pro- 
fession. His leisure hours were devoted to medi- 
cal studies, which he carried on under Dr. Sears, 
of Townsendville, Seneca County. In 1874 he 
entered the Long Island College at Brooklyn, 
where he remained one vear, then entered the 



Buffalo Medical College, graduating therefrom in 
February, 1876. Later he returned to the Long 
Island College, from which he was also gradu- 
ated. In 1876 he came to Romulus, Seneca 
Countj-, where he has since conducted a growing 
practice. 

In matters political, the Doctor has always 
maintained that interest characteristic of a good 
citizen. He is a sound Republican, and in his 
convictions and views is positive and firm. At 
different times he has held local offices of trust, by 
which means he has enhanced his party's prog- 
ress and proved his own ability as well. Socially 
he is a Ma.son. He was united in marriage, June 
23. 1875, with Mary B, Severn, who was born 
in the town of Lodi and is a daughter of Orin 
Severn. Two children blessed their union, of 
whom Corna M. is with them, and Carrie L. 
died at the age of one vear. 



^JB^. 



-i"-y-- 



^-»-— ^ 



HARRY K. BUMPUS, a well known citizen 
of Romulus, was born in that part of Tomp- 
kins County which is now in Schuyler 
County, and his father, John Bumpus, was born 
in the same place. His mother's maiden name 
was Matilda Adee. The parental family com- 
prised two children, our subject and his sister 
Jane, the latter of whom is now the wife of L, 
Osborne, and lives in West Romulus. 

Mr. Bumpus was married, November 15, 1837, 
to Miss Mary, daughter of Joseph Benedict. She 
was born September 17, 181 2, and died March 
27, 1880. Her remains are now resting in the 
peaceful seclusion of Ovid Cemetery. She be- 
came the mother of six children, of whom the 
eldest-born, Augustus, is deceased; Heiirx- was a 
private in Company E, One Hundred and Twen- 
ty-fourth New York Infantry, and was killed at 
the battle of Petersburg by a sharpshooter: Ma- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



433 



tilda died in 1.S70: William is a professor in the 
public schools of Waterloo: Mar_\- is the wife of 
Edward Gilleii, and lives at Hayt Corners; and 
Sarah is a dressmaker. 

Mr. Bnnipus began to care for him.self when 
he had barely reached the age of eighteen, and 
entered on life's labors by engaging to work on a 
farm by the month. In 1835 he came to this 
county. The first farm which he purchased was 
soon afterward exchanged for one in Schuyler 
County, and he has purchased and improved sev- 
eral farms in Seneca County. In 1876 he re- 
moved to the farm which he now owns and man- 
ages, and which consists of one hundred and 
seven acres of well cultivated land. He is a 
member of the Baptist Church, for several years 
serving as Trustee in that organization, and has 
taken much interest in church work. 



•♦}>1^®^^®J+C-I t—i- 



nOHN M. YERKES. Many valuable farms 
I may be found in Seneca Count\-, and among 
(2/ them is that of J. M. Yerkes, which is situ- 
ated in the town of Romulus, and contains all 
the improvements of a modern first-class estate. 
It comprises one hundred and fifty-six acres, sub- 
divided by good fencing into fields and pastures 
of convenient .size, wdiile the residence and out- 
buildings are substantial, well equipped and con- 
veniently arranged. In addition to the cultiva- 
tion of this place, Mr. Yerkes has for many years 
been engaged in the manufacture of tile and 
brick, and has also been in charge of a feedmill. 
In the town of Romulus, where he still resides, 
the subject of this article was born December 6, 
1827, his birthplace being one and one-half miles 
southeast of the village of Romulus. His father, 
Josiah, was a native of Philadelphia, Pa., and 
married for his first wife Mrs. Margaret (Mc- 
Knight) Blaine, the widow of Thomas Blaine, 
and a native of Northumberland County, Pa. Of 



that union the following children were born: 
John M.; Eliza A., wife of Thomas Mann: Jes- 
sie and Margaret. The last marriage of Mr. 
Yerkes was to Rhoda Church, and they had one 
child, a son, Schuyler B., now living at the old 
homestead in tlie town of Romulus. 

On removing from Pennsylvania to New York, 
Josiah Yerkes .settled in Seneca County, where 
he engaged in agricultural pursuits until his 
death, becoming the owner of about four hundred 
acres of arable land. His energy, perseverance, 
and the large measure of success which crowned 
his efforts brought him into prominence among 
his fellow-citizens, by whom he was conceded to 
be a model farmer and an honest man. In politi- 
cal views he adhered to the Democrac5% and was 
one of the local leaders of his party. He died 
about 1870, and was buried in the Romulus 
Cemetery. 

If a life passed in the quiet and honest discharge 
of duties, unvaried by any thrilling episodes, 
may be called uneventful, then Mr. Yerkes has 
had an uneventful career. His boyhood days 
were pa.ssed near w^here he now resides, and he 
was given as good an education as the common 
schools of the neighborhood afforded. Having 
been a reader of the newspapers and current 
magazines, he has added largely to the stock of 
knowledge acquired in the schoolroom, and is a 
well informed man on all topics of interest and 
general importance. He was a youth of about 
eighteen when he started out in the world for 
himself, and since then he has been independent, 
carving out his own career, and achieving as a 
farmer a success of which he may well be proud. 
When he moved to his pre.sent farm, it consisted 
of one hundred and sixteen acres, but from time 
to time he has made additional purchases until 
it now comprises one hundred and fifty -six acres. 
In 1865 he added to his farm work the manufact- 
ure of drain tile and brick, of which industry he 
made a success. 

By his marriage to Miss Lucy Church, which 
took place in 1852, Mr. Yerkes has five children, 
namely: Josiah, who is the present vSupervisor of 
the town of Romulus; Barnum, who is a farmer 
of this town; Clermont: John M., Jr., who has 



434 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the management of the home place: and Jesse, 
who resides on a farm in this county. Politically 
Mr. Yerkes is a Democrat, and his opinions are 
of no uncertain tone, but frankly expressed and 
firmly upheld at the ballot-box. Upon the ticket 
of his party he was elected Supervisor of the 
town, in which capacitj- he ser^-ed for two terms 
of one year each, the first being in 1878, and the 
second in 1887. In 1872 he was chosen Justice 
of the Peace, and that position he filled for fifteen 



Q: 






-^■^ 



(5^ 



t:.' 



WILLITT M. STAGEY, M. D. Probably 
no physician in the town of Tyre, Seneca 
Count}', is more thoroughly equipped for 
his profession than is the gentleman whose name 
heads this sketch, for his studies have been wide- 
ly extended, and pro.secuted under exceptional ad- 
vantages. He asks no odds of ancestors, rank or 
position to lend color to his ability in his chosen 
profession. 

Our subject is a native of this state, having 
been born at Skaneateles, Onondaga County, 
September 18, i860. His parents were Richard 
M. and Mary (Stearns) Stacey, the former of 
whom is still living and is engaged in various en- 
terprises of importance at Skaneateles, being the 
proprietor of a thriving general merchandise es- 
tablishment and the owner of a large flounnill. 
He was born at Kingston on the Hudson, and 
comes of English ancestors. His good wife, how- 
ever, was a native of Onondaga County, and was 
born of Yankee parents, formerly of Connecticut. 

Richard M. Stacey is a man of fine education, 
having completed his studies in the literary de- 
partment of Munro Collegiate Institute at El- 
bridge. It was his ambition and desire when a 
young man to study for the ministry, but before 
the time arrived when he could do this he had 
changed his plans. He had his own way to make 
in the world from earliest bovhood, and has be- 



come a successful man of business and one whose 
career has ever been upright and honorable. In 
politics he is a stanch supporter of Democratic 
principles, although his father never failed to 
cast a ballot for Republican candidates after the 
organization of that party. He has held many 
local positions, and in ail of these has discharged 
the duties in a very satisfactory manner, being 
competent to fill almost any position. In re- 
ligious afiairs he is a believer in the doctrine of 
the Universalist Church, a liberal contributor to 
its interests, and an earnest advocate of all good 
works. 

The parental family included six children, of' 
whom the subject of this sketch was the eldest. 
His boj'hood daj-s were passed under the parental 
roof, and, inheriting much of the enterprise and 
industry of his father, he in early life became 
desirous of getting a good education. He took 
an academic course in his native town, after 
which he went to S3-racuse and spent several 
months in the business college there, being un- 
der the instruction of Professor Meade. 

Young Stacey later went to Elbridge and car- 
ried on his studies for a time in Munro Col- 
legiate Institute, attending to his .studies very 
closeh- and applying himself with great earnest- 
ness to the work before him. Shortly after this 
he was taken into his father's business as full 
jiartner, remaining in the store for a period of 
eight years. His aim in life, however, was to 
become a professional man, and during his busi- 
ness career he read medicine at such times as his 
attention was not needed in the business. At the 
e.-cpiration of the time above referred to, or in 
1887, he gave his entire attention to studying 
medicine, reading in the office of Dr. F. H. Les- 
ter, of his native town. His first course of lect- 
ures was in the University of the City of New 
York, but after a year he attended the College of 
Physicians and Surgeons of Baltimore. During 
the third year of his course he went to Kentucky, 
and became a student in the Kentucky School 
of Medicine at Louisville, which is the oldest and 
most renowned school of medicine in America. 
From that institution he was graduated in 1892 
with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Thus 



A 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



435 



equipped with an extended knowledge of his pro- 
fession, he settled in Baltimore, Md., but a few 
months later changed his location to Louisville, 
Ky. The same year, however, he came to this 
place, ready to allexiate such human suffering as 
should present itself to his attention. He is iden- 
tified with the regular school of medicine, and al- 
though having been in the connnunity only a few- 
years, is well and favorably known, and his skill 
in difficult cases is called into requisition in all 
parts of the county. 

Dr. Stacey and Miss Elizabetli C. Burton, of 
Clyde, this state, were united in marriage Octo- 
ber 14, 18S4. The lady is the daughter of Hiram 
and Phebe (Conklin ) Burton, the fonner of 
whom is deceased, while the latter resides in the 
town of Galen, Wayne County, N. Y. In re- 
ligious matters the Doctor is a member of the 
Episcopal Church, while his wife is identified 
with the Baptist Church. In politics he is in- 
dependent, resen-ing his right to vote for the 
man who will best fill the office, regardless of 
party lines. Socialh" he is a member of Seneca 
County Medical Association, in which he is great- 
ly interested. He likewise belongs to Skanea teles 
Lodge No. 522, F. & A. M., in which order he 
has filled nearly all the chairs, and with which 
he has been as.sociated for eight or ten vears. 




REV. WISNER KINNE, pastor of the Bap- 
tist Church in the town of Romulus, Sen- 
eca County, is a native of this town, and 
is now ministering to the first church organ- 
ized in the county, which celebrated its centen- 
nial June 27, 1895. It is seldom that a minister 
of the Gospel locates in the neighborhood where 
he was born and reared, and less seldom does he 
have a successful pastorate when he settles there. 
The Saviour Himself .said that "a prophet is 
not without honor save in his own country-," and 



the truth of the saying has been exemplified 
over and over again. Occasionally, however, 
there arises one who is honored even in his own 
country, and this is true of the subject of our 
sketch. 

In the town of Ronudus, our subject was born 
October 28, 1859, and here his father, David 
Wisner, was born March 26, 1814. His great- 
grandfather, Capt. Elijah Kinne, came from Con- 
necticut to New York about 1790, and settled in 
the town of Ovid, Seneca County. His son 
Elijah came with him from Connecticut when a 
young man. The latter was a successful man and 
owned about two thousand acres of land in Sen- 
eca County. By his marriage to Hester Wisner 
he had fifteen children, and ofthe.se only three are 
now living. 

David Wisner Kinne was reared in Romulus, 
where his entire life was .spent. He was married 
three times. October 11, 1837, he married Mary 
L. Stone, daughter of John Stone, of Romulus, 
who came from Connecticut in an early day; she 
was one of thirteen children, and was born April 
17, 1818, and died March 4, 1872. Of their 
children we note the following: Minerva is the 
wife ofEmniett R.Sutton, of Forrest, 111.; Enii 
K. is the wife of Dr. E. S. Jenkins, of Bree.sport, 
N. Y.; Sarah married Joseph Duulap, and lives 
in the town of Ovid; Ada resides with her sister 
Lucy, who is the wife of Rev. J. N. Sackett, of 
Ovid, N. Y. ; Smith and Charles died in child 
hood; Mary is Mrs. L- H. Ingalls, of Elmira, 
N. Y.; Ella married James Egbert, of Anaconda, 
Mont.; our subject completes the family circle. 

January 25, 1873, David W. Kinne married 
Mrs. Marj- (Dunlap) WiLson, who died September 
4, 1885, and afterward he was united with Mrs. 
Phoebe H. (Everett) Townsend, who survives 
him. Our subject was reared on the home farm 
and attended the district schools until fourteen 
years of age, when he entered Ovid Academy, 
and later he prosecuted his studies in Cazenovia 
Seminary. He engaged in farming until 1887, 
when he went to New York City and entered the 
New York Missionary Training Institute, re- 
maining there two years. Meantime he engaged 
in missionary work in New York City and Jersey 



436 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



City, and later was pastor for two years on Long 
Island. He was ordained to the ministry January 
12, 1892, in the Gospel Tabernacle Church of 
New York City. 

His father stricken with apoplexy in July, 
1880, our subject was called home to care for him 
until his death, nearly a year later. After having 
charge of the Baptist Church at Ovid Center for 
one year, he next went to Troupsburg, N. Y., 
and February 10, 1895, he accepted the pastorate 
of the First Baptist Church of Romulus, N. Y. 
This church has a meniber.ship of one hundred 
and fifty, and under the leadership of the ener- 
getic pastor is doing an excellent work in the 
Ma.ster's vineyard. Not only by the members of 
his own communion, but by those of other 
denominations as well, Mr. Kiiuie is greatly 
esteemed. June 3, 1890, he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Margaret M. Payne, daughter of 
John Wesley and Maria vS. Payne, now of Ocean- 
side, Cal. Our subject and his wife have two 
children. Dean Wesley and Paul Payne. 




:<♦— 



RE V. WILLIAM A. MORRISON. St. 
Mary's Catholic Church at Watkins, being 
the only Catholic congregation in Schuyler 
County, and also being a very old organization, 
occupies a position of great importance among the 
members of that faith in central New York. The 
edifice, which stands at the corner of Ninth and 
Decatur Streets, is a substantial brick structure 
and was erected in 1865. Previous to that time 
the congregation met for worship in the build- 
ing on Monroe Street formerly owned by the 
Pre.sbyterians. The first .services of tlie church 
were held there in 1846, and from that time to 
the present the cause has had a steady growth. 

The pastor of the church. Father Morrison, was 
born in Buffalo, N. Y., January 6, i860. His 



parents, John and Margaret (McDonald) Morri- 
son, were early settlers of Buffalo, where the 
former was an active politician and for some years 
held the office of Po.stmaster. Our subject re- 
ceived in his youth ev-erj- educational advantage 
which his father could secure for him. He was 
educated principally in Niagara University, which 
is near the Suspension Bridge at Niagara Falls. 
At the close of his theological studies, he was or- 
dained to the priesthood in the Catholic Church, 
in 1883, by the Rt.-Rev. Stephen Vincent Ryan, 
Bishop of Buffalo. His first charge was as assist- 
ant to Father Early at Hornellsville, N. Y. From 
there he went to Olean, Cattaraugus County, 
where he was as.sistant to Father Hamel for four 
years. 

The first pastorate of Father Morrison was at 
Randolph, N. Y. , where he remained nine months. 
He was then transferred to Akron, N. Y., and in 
1893 was given charge of the congregation at 
Watkins, where he has one hundred and fifty 
families in his parish. The present church was 
built by Father English in 1865, at a cost of 
$12,000. The parochial residence was erected in 
1875 by Father McManus. The first resident 
of the church was Rev. James McManus, who 
was succeeded by the Very Rev. Dean Leddy, 
now pastor of the Wellsville Church. The next 
pastor was Rev. Martin Ryan, now of Owego, 
N. Y., and he was succeeded by the present 
pastor. 



•*->-: 



K-*- 



■*-H 



^-^ife)-^*- 







lAVID WARNER BIRGE, M. D. By his 
skill and success in his chosen work as a 
physician. Dr. Birge has won an excellent 
reputation and the good-will and confidence of 
the citizens of Hector and vicinity. He was 
born in Manchester, Conn., December 6, 1822, 
and remained there for the first ten years of his 
life. He was then taken by his parents, Simeon 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



437 



and Electa (Pitkiu) Birge, to Portage County, 
Ohio, remaining there until attaining manhood. 
He first entered Twinsburg Literary Institute, 
where he remained two j-ears, then took one term 
in the Western Reserve College at Hudson, and 
later attended Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. 

On reaching his twenty-first year, David Birge 
began reading medicine in the office of Dr. Peter 
Allen, one of the noted physicians of Kinsman, 
Trumbull County, Ohio, and after two years, in 
1844, came to New York, making his home for a 
time with an old friend of his father's at Ithaca. 
During the spring of 1845 he removed to Ovid, 
continuing his medical studies with Dr. C. C. 
Coan, and during the winter of 1845-46 attended 
lectures in the Geneva Medical College. In 
1847-48 he was a student at Cleveland Medical 
College, from which institution he was graduated 
in the Class of '48, with the degree of Doctor 
of Medicine. D. \V. Bliss, the noted surgeon 
and medical adviser of President Garfield, was 
one of his cla.ssmates, as was also John H. New- 
berry, a prominent scientist and ph>sician of 
Wa.shington, D. C. 

When read)- to begin in practice, Dr. Birge 
went to Flint, Mich. , where he remained until the 
winter of 1848, when he made his way still 
further westward to the Golden State, and en- 
gaged in mining in Eldorado County, at a place 
called Georgetown. During the time spent there 
he also practiced to some extent, and met with 
very satisfactory results in both departments of 
work. 

In the fall of 1854 Dr. Birge returned to the 
Empire State, and for two years prosecuted his 
studies in the various medical colleges of the 
state, spending the greater part of his time in the 
New York Medical College. He then located at 
Liberty ville. Lake County, 111., and until i860 
was one of the skilled physicians of that place. 
In August of that year he came to Schuyler 
County, taking up his abode in Hector, where he 
has lived for the past thirty-five years, and is 
therefore oile of the oldest and most popular 
physicians of the county. The Doctor was in- 
terested in western lands for many years, but has 
now disposed of this property, investing his 



money in real estate in New York State. He 
was one of the fir.st residents of this section to 
engage in grape culture, and at the present time 
he has about ten acres devoted to the raising of 
this luscious fruit, his vineyard l)ing on the 
slopes of Lake Seneca. The country round about 
is one of the most beautiful .spots in the state, 
and, on account of Watkins' Glen, which is 
located in this vicinity, is quite a summer resort. 

Dr. Birge has retired from active practice, and 
for the past ten years has given his attention 
almost entirely to fruit-growing and farming on 
a small scale. He was married at Ovid, in 1856, 
to Miss Hannah D. Eastman, a native of that 
place, who died in July, 1866. Of the children 
of the first marriage we mention the following: 
Mary is now her father's housekeeper. Julia be- 
came the wife of Cyrus E. Kinney, a member of 
the well known firm of Kinney Brothers, of Ovid. 
Mrs. Kinney was finely educated in the Cortland 
Normal, and for eight years taught school, four 
of which were at Ovid. Grace married Arthur 
B. Clarke, who is now the drawing teacher in 
Stanford University of California. She, too, was 
a graduate of the Cortland Normal, and for some 
time was preceptress in the Onondaga Academy 
at Onondaga Valley. 

The Doctor was again married, October 15, 
1S67, to Miss Mantie Elliott, of Hector, whose 
parents were Ansel and Samantha Elliott. Mrs. 
Birge was born and reared on a farm in the town 
of Hector, and survived her marriage twelve years, 
passing away in 1879. Gertrude, the daughter 
of the second marriage, is a graduate of the 
Oneonta State Normal, and after completing her 
studies taught for two years at Unadilla, Otsego 
County. She was married, July 2, 1895, to Her- 
bert P. Gallinger, a graduate of Cortland Nor- 
mal School and of Amherst College, and for two 
years Principal of the Oxford Academy, The 
day following their marriage they embarked on a 
vessel for Europe, where they both intend to 
pursue their studies in Jena University, in Ger- 
many. Benjamin E., a son of the second union, 
is a student at the Platt.sburg State Normal. 
Charles W. is at home, and assists his father in 
farm work. 



438 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



The Doctor takes great interest in all public 
matters, and never fails to cast a vote in favor of 
Republican candidates. After .so many \ears of 
active work he is now prepared to take life easy, 
and during the fi.shing season spends many hours 
on the lake, and is often rewarded by a large 
string of black bass. He is well known in this 
neighborhood, and enjoys an extensive acquaint- 
ance throughout this part of the state. 



lELLIE P. MOSES is held in high esteem 
in the town of Seneca Falls, both for his 
worth as a citizen and his enterprise and 
progressiveness as a farmer. He has ably repre- 
.sented his fellow-townsmen in various positions 
of trust, and we are sure that this brief sketch of 
his life will be read with interest by his many 
friends. 

.Mr. Moses is living on a farm four miles south, 
and one-half mile west, of Seneca Falls. He was 
born on this place, January 7, 1861, and is a son 
of Peter and Mercy (Reading) Moses, the former 
of whom also claimed this county as the place of 
his nativity, his birth occurring January 6, 181 1. 
His good wife was a native of Michigan, and 
was born in Wayne County in the year 1825. 

Peter Moses, who pa.ssed his entire life in this 
county, was well educated for the early day in 
which he lived, and became an agriculturist, well 
versed in the uses of all kinds of farm machinery. 
He was always willing and anxious to adopt new 
methods in cultivating his land, and as a result 
reaped haiid.some returns for the care bestowed 
upon it. 

There were two children born to Peter and 
Mercy Moses, of whom the elder, Abbie M., 
married John S. Pearson; she died at the birth of 
her son John. The father of our subject was a 
stanch supporter of Democratic principles, but as 
his time was all taken up with his own affairs, he 



had no inclination to enter politics. He became 
very prosperous and was the owner of two farms, 
one containing one hundred and forty-seven acres, 
and the other one hundred and nine. 

The subject of this sketch was the only son of 
his parents, and was given everj- opportunity for 
gaining a good education. He was married, Oc- 
tober 5, 1880, to Miss Mary Page, then living in 
Geneva, but who was born in Ontario County, 
N. Y. Two children were granted to them: 
Lewis W., born October 23, 1881; and Alice M., 
born May 30, 1884. Mrs. Moses died December 
5, 1884, mourned by a host of warm friends, who 
had learned to love her for her many pleasing 
qualities of mind and heart. February 20, 1886, 
our subject chose for his second companion Miss 
Carrie A. Abbott, who was born in the town of 
Fayette, and who was the daughter of John and 
Mary (Kuney) Abbott. Mr. Moses, following 
in the footsteps of his honored father, is a Demo- 
crat in politics. He is a very influential worker 
in the party, and has been sent as a delegate to 
the various county conventions. He is a thor- 
oughly wide-awake and progressive citizen, and 
for twelve years was Commissioner of Highways, 
filling the office during that time to the satisfac- 
tion of all concerned. 






GIbRAHAM L. hunter, whoiswdl known 
Ll throughout Schuyler County as a reliable 
/ 1 and capable veterinary surgeon, and who is 
prominently identified with a number of the busi- 
ness and public interests of Watkins, is a native 
of this county, and was born in the town of Hec- 
tor, November 11, i860, being the date of his 
birth. He is a son of Daniel G. and Mary A. 
(Pierce) Hunter, the former of whom was born 
in Westchester County, N. Y., came thence to 
Schuyler County in early life, and continued to 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



439 



reside in the town of Hector until his death in 
1873. The wife and mother, who is still living, 
was for twenty -five years Postmistress of the vil- 
lage of Hector, a position which she filled to the 
satisfaction of all, but which she was finally 
obliged to resign on account of failing health. 

The parental family consisted of eight children, 
five sons and three daughters, of whom six are 
still living. Abraham h., who was the youngest 
of the famil)-, passed the days of childhood and 
youth in the town of Hector, gaining a f;iir edu- 
cation in the common schools of his home neigh- 
borhood. From early years he evinced a great 
fondness for horses, which led him, in selecting a 
calling for life, to choose that of veterinary .sur- 
geon. He gained a thorough knowledge of this 
occupation in the Ontario Veterinary College at 
Toronto, Canada, which he attended for some 
time, graduating from that institution March 27, 
1885." 

Returning to Schuyler County, our subject se- 
lected Watkins as his permanent location, and 
here he has since resided, carrying on veterinary 
work in this and adjoining counties. He has 
gained a reputation as a reliable, well informed 
and skillful surgeon in this particular line, and is 
meeting with a success which is well de.ser's-ed. In 
January, 1895, he was appointed Under-Sheriff of 
Schuyler County, which po.sition he is now hold- 
ing. He takes considerable interest in public af- 
fairs, and in political matters always adheres to 
Republican principles, supporting the candidates 
of that party. Active in local party ranks, he 
has held the position of Secretary of the Repub- 
lican County Committee and was its Chairman in 

1893-94- 

The marriage of our subject, which occurred 
December 2, 1885, united him with Miss Minnie 
E. Johnson, daughter of Rufus W. and Mary E. 
(Mathews) Johnson, and a native of the town of 
Hector, where she lived until the time of her 
marriage. They have a neat and pleasant home 
in Watkins, in which they hospitably entertain 
their large circle of acquaintances. In his fra- 
ternal relations our subject is identified vv'ith Jef- 
ferson Lodge No. 332, F. & A. M., in which or- 
ganization he takes a warm interest. He has 



served as Vice-President of the Schuyler County 
Agricultural Society, in which position, as in all 
others to which he has been called by his fellow- 
citizens, he has displayed a depth and soundness 
of judgment and firmness of opinion that are 
among his prominent characteristics. 



n AINBRIDGE MARSHALL is a farmer liv- 
IC\ ing in the town of Fayette, Seneca Coun- 
L/ ty, to whom the calling is a pleasure. He 
is a genial, open-hearted gentleman, and, like .so 
many of the residents of this locality, was born 
here. His birth occurred November 13, 1846, in 
the town of Fayette, his parents being Peter and 
Sophia Lee (Bear) Marshall. A sketch of the 
former may be found on another page of this 
book. 

The greater part of our suljject's training was 
in the line of farming, but he nevertheless ac- 
quired a ver}' good education for his day, and for 
two winters attended the academy at Waterloo. 
For some time after attaining his majority he 
continued to make his home with his parents, 
aiding his father in the work on the home place. 
The estate was one of the most productive in the 
locality, and was one of which any man might 
well be proud. 

When ready to establish a home of his own, 
Bainbridge Marshall was married, October 22, 
1879, to Miss Elizabeth Marshall, who was the 
daughter of John and Lucinda (Wuchter) Mar- 
shall, and was born in the town of Fayette, July 
20, 1 85 1. She is a most estimable lady, and by 
her union with our subject became the mother of 
two children: John, who was born July 16, 1880; 
and Lottie, whose birth occurred November 25, 
1883. 

Mr. Marshall has had a ])n)sperous career as a 
tiller of the soil and is the owner of a valuable 
homestead, which he cultivates. He is very en- 



440 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ergetic, and his wide knowledge of agricultural 
work is sure to achieve greater success in the fu- 
ture than in the past. He is a prominent and in- 
fluential supporter of the Republican party, vot- 
ing for its candidates ever since i86S, when his 
first ballot was cast for U. S. Grant. He has 
ser\-ed at various times as Secretary of the cau- 
cuses of the party in the town of F'ayette. For a 
long time he has been identified with the Presby- 
terian Church of Waterloo, which he serves in 
the capacity of Trustee, and of which Mrs. Mar- 
shall is also a member. Their social position in 
this community is of the highest, and in all the 
relations of life they are people to be admired and 
respected . 



•*->^' 



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30HN T. WILLIAMS, formerly a successful 
merchant of Tyrone, is now living retired 
from bu.siness. He was born here January 
13. 1824, and here was reared to mature years, 
spending a portion of his time on the home place, 
and the remainder in his father's store. When 
about nineteen years of age the father died, leav- 
ing his affairs in a very unsettled condition, and 
for two years our subject was occupied in making 
collections and settling up the estate. 

In the winter of 1843-44 ^l^r- Williams, in 
company with another gentleman, rode the entire 
distance to and from Wisconsin on horseback. 
Mr. Williams returned on the ist of April of the 
latter year, and, purchasing a farm in the town 
of Tyrone, was engaged in its cultivation for 
three years following. He was married about 
this time to Miss Caroline M. Curtis, a native of 
Yates County, N. Y. At the expiration of three 
years Mr. Williams sold the above farm and 
thereafter gave his attention principally to specu- 
lating in real e.state, buying and selling farms. 
He also cultivated the soil successfully during 



this time, and was engaged in this vocation until 
about fifty years of age. About this time he en- 
tered into partnership with E. R. Bi.ssell, of Ty- 
rone, and together they were the proprietors of a 
thriving mercantile establishment, the connection 
existing for twehe or thirteen \ears. Mr. Will- 
iams then sold out his interest in the business 
and has since lived a retired life. 

By his marriage with Miss Curtis our subject 
became the father of two sons. The wife and 
mother died in 1854, after nine years of happy 
married life. Mr. Williams was afterward mar- 
ried to his present wife, Eunice C. Jones, a native 
of Seneca Falls, N. Y., where she lived until 
about ten years of age. She then accompanied 
her parents on their removal to Y'ates Count}- and 
there resided luitil attaining mature years. She 
became the mother of two daughters: Maggie, 
who died April 28, 1885, aged twenty-eight 
years: and Mary, who died in infancy. 

Our subject has been a supporter of Republican 
principles ever since the organization of the party 
and has always taken a lively interest in the wel- 
fare of his community. With his wife, he is an 
influential member of the Presbyterian Church, 
in which he has been Elder for upwards of fortj' 
years. As a result of his industrious habits and 
correct business principles, he is now living re- 
tired, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of a 
large circle of friends. 







CLINTON KIME, a prominent citizen 
and farmer of Seneca County, keeps pace 
with the progress of the times, and has ad- 
vanced the interests of his county at all times. 
His life of industry and usefulness, and his record 
for integrity and true-hearted faithfulness in all 
the relations of life, have given him a hold upon 
the community which all might well desire to 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



44' 



share. The estate of Mr. Kinie is located two 
miles south of Waterloo, in the town of Fayette, 
and he bears the distinction of introducing into 
this section the first Dorset horned sheep, which 
he makes a specialty of breeding. 

Our subject is a native of the above town, and 
was born Januarj- 26, 1857, on the banks of Lake 
Seneca, to Benjamin and Mary (Dimn) Kime. 
They were born in Pennsylvania, whence thej^ 
were brought by their respective parents, when 
quite young, to this section. The paternal grand- 
father bore the name of Christian Kime, and was 
classed among the earliest settlers of the county. 
He became the owner of an entire section of land 
bordering on Seneca Lake, on which he erected a 
hotel, and in addition to his farming interests 
played the part of ' ' mine host ' ' with equal suc- 
cess. He became very pro.sperous, and at the 
time of his death left his family well provided for. 

The father of our subject was born about the 
year 1809, and died in 18S7, and during his en- 
tire life followed farming. He was well educated 
for the locality and day, and was given a good 
start in life when ready to begin for him.self His 
union with Mi.ss Dimn resulted in the birth of 
nine children, four of whom died when young, 
and four of the family are still living. During 
the late war, Franklin, the eldest of the house- 
hold, was a soldier in the One Hundred and 
Twenty -sixth New York Infantry, enlisting in 
1862. He was wounded while in the battle of 
the Wilderness, and died in the hospital in 1864. 
His remains were brought home and interred in 
the cemetery at Geneva, N. Y. Angeline mar- 
ried Charles H. Smith, and is at present living 
in Fayette. Susan A. makes her home with her 
brother in the latter village, Edward P. is mar- 
ried, and likewise makes his home in Fayette. 

The subject of this sketch is well educated, hav- 
ing been permitted to attend .school regularly until 
a lad of -sixteen years. Although quite young in 
years, he then assumed the management of the 
homestead, which he operated for some time on 
shares. December 17, 1884, he was married to 
Miss >Sarah A. Thomas, a native of the town of 
Fayette, and a daughter of Michael and Leah 
Thomas. The following year he located with his 



young wife on the farm of one hundred and ten 
acres which has ever since been his home. In 
addition to this, Mr. Kime is interested in a farm 
of one hundred and five acres. His home farm 
is improved with a fine set of buildings, .substan- 
tially built and commodious, all of which he 
erected. As stated in our opening paragraph, 
Mr. Kime is interested in the breeding of Dorset 
horned sheep, and in this branch of agriculture 
is meeting with good results. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Kime there has been granted 
a daughter, Mary Leah, whose birth occurred 
May II, 1886. Like his father before him, our 
subject is a stanch supporter of Republican prin- 
ciples, casting his first Presidential ballot in 1880 
for Garfield. He is prominent in the councils of 
his party, and has been a delegate to various 
county conventions. Socially, he is a member of 
Rose Hill Grange, which he now represents as 
Overseer. He is a man of excellent business 
ability, enterprising and sagacious, and by his 
well directed efforts has won prosperity, and is 
justly recognized as one of the successful farmers 
and stock-raisers of the countv. 



.?<rf!i^. ^ 



(^ 



is^ 



EHARLES SHARP resides in the town of 
Romulus, Seneca County, N. Y. From 
early childhood he has been a farmer, and 
has engaged in every variety of agricultural work. 
Unlike Horace Greeley, his experience in farming 
has been practical, and not theoretical, and if 
called upon to write, as was Mr. Greeley, of 
' 'What I Know About Farming," the reader would 
readily see the difference between theory and 
practice. But he is not a man to parade his 
knowledge, being content to pass along life's 
journey doing cheerfully and well what his hands 
find to do, and looking for his reward in the con- 
.sciousness of dul\ well performed. 



442 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Charles Sharp was born in the town of \'a- 
rick, Seneca County, in July, 1845, and is a son 
of Charles and Phebe (Goble) Sharp. His father 
was born in Litchfield, Conn., and his mother near 
Caledonia, N. Y., and he and his wife were mar- 
ried in Januarj', 1821, in this place. The former 
removed to this county in an early day. They had 
a family of six children, nameh-: Theron, who 
resides on the old homestead; Calvin, who died 
ill August, 1895, at the age of sevent>--two: Al- 
bert, decea.sed; William, a farmer in the town of 
Genoa, Cayuga County, N. Y. ; Edward, decea.sed; 
and Charles. 

Compelled in early life to shift for him.self, our 
subject's father went to Sherlnirne, N. Y., where 
he learned the carpenter's trade, and then he 
came to this place and pursued that calling for 
many 3'ears. On coming to Seneca County, he 
purchased a small tract of land and commenced 
its cultivation, but in 1853 he removed to the 
place now occupied by our subject. He received 
a limited education, but being a man of practical 
knowledge he attained broad information and a 
large degree of .success. He was a member of 
the Presbyterian Church, and endeavored to live 
.strictly in accordance with the teachings of that 
faith. In politics he was a Republican, but nev- 
er an office-seeker. However, he believed it to 
be the dutj- of every citizen to exercise the right 
of franchise, and in that respect he was faithful. 
His death occurred April 10, 1885, at the age of 
eighty-nine, and his remains were interred in the 
cemeter>- at Romulus, bj- the side of the body of 
his wife, who had died in 1874, at the age of sev- 
enty-one. She was a member of the Presbyteri- 
an Church and a true Christian wife and mother. 

When the fatnily moved to the farm where our 
subject now lives he was eight years of age, and 
this has since been his home. As already stated, 
his entire life has been spent in farm work and the 
education which he received was obtained in the 
common schools. Since the death of his father, 
in partnership with his brother Calvin, he has 
owned and operated the home farm of one hun- 
dred and twenty-six acres of fine land. They 
also own other land, divided into five different 
farms, and a total of fi\e hundred and fifty-three 



acres. His attention is given principally to 
stock-raising, in connection with general farm 
work. That lie has Iseen successful, is attested by 
his w^ell cultivated farm and excellent outbuild- 
ings, together with his neat and comfortable 
home. In politics he is a Republican, and in re- 
ligion identified with the Presbvteriau Church. 



...^1^.. 



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-•"«-^ 



pCJlLLIAM H. BALDWIN. There has been 
\ A / no factor more closely connected with the 
V Y development of the material interests of 
Schuyler County and Watkins than the Wat- 
kins Democrat, which throughout its entire his- 
tory has aimed to promote the welfare of the 
people. It is recognized as the organ of the 
Democratic party in this locality, and has stood 
as the able representative of that political organi- 
zation through all the political "ups and downs" 
of the party. In advancing local interests, too, 
it has taken a warm interest, boldly advocating 
every measure calculated to benefit the village, 
whether or not the plan might suit the popu- 
lar view. 

The gentleman to whom the success of this 
paper is due, William H. Baldwin, was born in 
Deerfield, Herkimer County, N. Y., June 29, 
1835, and is a member of a family long identified 
with the history of Connecticut. His grandfa- 
ther, Willis Baldwin, about 18 12 .settled in the 
town of Hector, upon what was later known as the 
Reeves Farm. After a. short time devoted to farm 
pursuits, he came to Watkins (then known as Sa- 
lubria), where he followed the trade of a hatter. 
On the corner of Fourth and Porter Streets he 
erected a building known as the Baldwin House, 
the front part of which was devoted to the manu- 
facture of hats and the sale of groceries. For 
many years tliis was the only house east of the 
present Franklin Street. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



443 



In company with his parents, Henry Downs 
and Mary Jane (Pease) Baldwin, our subject 
came to Watkins in early childhood, prior to 1842. 
The rudiments of his education were gained in 
the public schools of this place, but at an earl)' 
age he was obliged to relinquish his studies and 
enter upon an occupation that would make him 
self-supporting. He began to learn the printer's 
trade in 1842, with Slawson & Shirley, and in 
1848 entered the office of the Jefferson Eagle, 
then edited by J. Wesley Smith. There he 
gained a knowledge of the compositor's trade 
and learned the rudiments of the printing and 
publishing business, which he has since followed, 
with the exception of a short time. 

Upon leaving the Jefferson Eagle, Mr. Baldwin 
was employed in the offices of the Watkins Fam- 
ily Visitor, Watkins Republican, and their suc- 
cessors, for several years. In 1859 he became 
one of the publishers of the Seneca County Senti- 
nel at Ovid, where he remained for two years. 
In May, 1867, he bought the Schuyler County 
Democrat, the name of which was changed, some 
j'ears afterward, to the Watkins Democrat. Under 
this name it was improved and successfully con- 
ducted until February 19, 1891, when the entire 
plant was destroyed by fire, the proprietor losing 
almost all he possessed. However, he was undis- 
mayed by the catastrophe, and with undaunted 
courage started out once more. Interesting a 
wealthy relative, he purchased lots adjoining the 
burnt district and erected a substantial and com- 
modious brick structure, the finest in Watkins, 
and known as the Baldwn Block. Portions of the 
second and third floors of this building are occu- 
pied by the new plant, which is one of the most 
complete in western New York, being equipped 
with power presses and all desirable materials for 
the proper management of the paper. 

The influential position held by the Democrat 
as the organ of the Democrac}- is due largely, in 
fact it may be said entirely, to the shrewd judg- 
ment and executive ability of Mr. Baldwin. He 
has labored indefatigably to secure its success, 
sparing neither time nor expense in advancing ; 
the interests of the paper. It has a large patron- 
age and is a welcome guest in very many homes 



of the county, numbering among its readers not 
only tho.se who are Democrats in principle, but 
many whose opinions are different. 

Personally, as well as through the medium of 
the paper, Mr. Baldwin takes a deep interest in 
political matters. He was the Democratic can- 
didate for the Assembly in 1885, and polled a 
large number of votes, though the county is 
strongly Republican. At different state conven- 
tions he has served as a delegate, and for several 
years was Postmaster at Watkins. He has also 
been a member of the Board of Village Trustees. 
In every position to which he has been called he 
has rendered efficient and able service, and has 
won the commendation and confidence of his fel- 
low-citizens. 

In January, 1863, Mr. Baldwin married Miss 
Louise E., only daughter of John and Laura 
(John.son) Losey, of Mottville, N. Y. Mrs. Bald- 
win is an unusually bright, intelligent and well 
educated woman, and is an ornament to her 
household. To Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin were born 
four children, two daughters and two sons. Donna 
Madelon died in her twelfth year; John Henry 
died in his fifth year; Marion P., who is at home, 
was educated in the schools of Watkins; Will- 
iam H. pa.ssed away in his fifth year. Mrs. 
Baldwin and her daughter are members of the 
First Presbvterian Church. 



•l-3+^®^W®^+C^I *-"^ 



'3E0RGE C, WILLIAM I. .-vnd CHARLES 
_ E. THOMAS, who comprise the firm of 
^ G. C. Thomas & Brothers, are prominent 
business men of Waterloo, Seneca County. They 
are widely known throughout this section as 
agriculturists, dairymen, breeders of thorough- 
bred Guernsey cattle, and also as dealers in build- 
ing stone, dimension stone, fertilizers, agricult- 
ural implements, etc. 

Our subjects are the .sons of Michael and Leah 



444 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



(Rhinehart) Thomas, the former of whom was 
born ill Juniata Township, Perr}- County, Pa., 
in June, 1800. He left his native state some 
time in 18 12, in company with his father, George 
Clinton Thomas, and came to this state. He 
received a good education, and continued to live 
with his parents until forty years of age, when 
he was united in marriage. Until their decease 
he cared tor his aged father and mother. At one 
time he invested considerable money in oil, but 
this speculation proved a failure, and instead of 
making a fortune he lost most of his capital. 

In addition to his own share in the homestead, 
Michael Thomas purchased the interest of his 
brother James, and by so doing had a farm of 
some three hundred acres. While devoting him- 
self first of all to the improvement and cultiva- 
tion of this estate, he was also a public-spirited 
and progressive citizen. 

To Michael Thomas and wife there were born 
seven children, six of whom are living at the 
present time. In the order of their birth they 
are named, respectively, George, Maggie, Will- 
iam, Charles, Sarah and Frances C. The sec- 
ond daughter married W. Clinton Kline. Frances 
became the wife of William A. Smith, and makes 
her home at Newport, Perry County, Pa., where 
her husband is agent for pianos and organs. The 
husband and father departed this life January i, 
1880, and the year following his three sons en- 
tered into partnership and purchased the farm on 
which they now live. It comprises a quarter- 
section of excellent land, forty acres of which are 
within the corporate limits of Waterloo. Soon 
after locating on this place they invested consider- 
able money in stock and began dairying, which 
business has rapidly grown until it has now 
assumed extensive proportions. Their first herd 
of cattle was common .stock, but in 1891 they 
purchased a fine lot of Guernseys. They also 
have a number of Holsteins. They milk about 
forty cows, and altogether have some sixty 
animals. 

The stone-quarry which the Thomas Brothers 
own was formerly in the po.s.se.ssion of their uncle, 
Samuel Thomas, who opened it and put the ma- 
chinery in operation. This yields an annual out- 



put of from twenty-five hundred to three thou- 
sand yards of stone per year. The stone, which 
is used chiefly for building purposes, is of a very 
fine quality, and is in great demand. The broth- 
ers own their own canal-boat, and are kept busy 
making shipments of stone to Geneva and other 
points where they receive orders. Their business 
is not confined, however, to the material they 
ship by water, for they also send the product of 
their quarry by rail to all parts of the state. 

The senior member of the firm of Thomas 
Brothers is a shrewd business man and devotes 
his entire attention to the various enterprises in 
which the firm is engaged. The three brothers 
make their home together, and by their advanced 
ideas and progressive habits are doing much to- 
ward improving the business interests of their 
community. The sons, following in the foot- 
steps of their honored father, are all Republicans, 
and George C. has held the position of vSuper- 
visor of his town for three years. 




(lACOB BROWN, a retired agriculturist, is 
I one of the representative men of Seneca 
(~) County. He and his family occupy an 
assured position in the social life of the commu- 
nity, and always lend substantial aid to any .social, 
moral or educational enterprise that arises. Al- 
though Mr. Brown now makes his home in Beary- 
town, he is the proprietor of a tract of one hun- 
dred and four acres in the town of Varick, two 
and one-half miles southeast of Bearytown. 

Our subject was born in this town, about a 
mile and a-half distant from his pre.sent place of 
residence, March 8, 1824. His parents were 
Jacob and Mary (Miller) Brown, the former of 
whom was born in Sherman's \'alley. Pa., whence 
he was brought to this .state by his father, Michael 
Brown. The journey was made in a wagon, and 
proved a very tiresome one indeed to the young 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



445 



lad. This county was then in an almost wild 
condition, and the territory I\ing between Seneca 
Falls and the old homestead in the town of Varick 
was heavily woodetl. Notwithstanding this, the 
travelers cut their wa>- through the forest, and 
the grandfather located on a tract which after- 
ward was converted into one of the most beauti- 
ful and productive farms in the town of \'arick. 
The little family was obliged to camj) out a few 
more nights, or until a shelter could be erected 
for them, which, when completed, was a rude 
structure built of logs. The barn, which was 
also built of the same material, is still standing, 
although it has long since been made more pre- 
sentable by a covering of frame work. Grand- 
father Brown became well-to-do in this world's 
goods, and at his death left his famil>' well pro- 
vided for. 

The mother of our subject was born in this 
county, and was the daughter of George Miller, 
who came to this section from Penns\-h-ania. He, 
too, made the trip with an ox-team, and on taking 
an inventory of his possessions on arriving here, 
found that his earthly effects consisted of a yoke 
of oxen and $2 in mone\-. He was soon after- 
ward married in this county to Miss Elizabeth 
Holman, and from that time on was successful in 
nearly all his undertakings. At his death he left 
a large and valualjle estate, including two hun- 
dred and sixty-.seven acres, one hundred and four 
of which are among the landed possessions of 
our subject, he buying the tract from Mr. Miller 
for $60 per acre. The mother of our subject de- 
parted this life when Jacob was only four years 
of age, leaving also a daughter, Maria. The 
latter was reared to mature years, and, after secur- 
ing a good education, was married to Alonzo 
Dellenbaugh. After his decease she became the 
wife of Andrew Slaughter. She is now de- 
ceased, passing away in Macon County, Mo., and 
leaving a familx' of three children by the second 
marriage. 

Jacob Brown, our suiy'ect, was left doubl_\- 
orphaned when a lad ol seven years, and was 
then taken into the home of his uncle, Michael 
Brown, with whom he remained until attaining 
his majority. Although not attending school 



regularly, he acquired a useful fund of informa- 
tion, and a thorough training in farm work. It 
was the understanding when going to live with 
his relative that he was to work for him until 
becoming of age, when he was to receive a hor.se, 
saddle and bridle, worth $90, and two suits of 
clothes. This all came about in due time, and 
after reaching his twenty-first year young Brown 
remained with him, working for eight months at 
$10 per month. A short time previous to this he 
came into his inheritance, receiving $700 from his 
father's estate, which mone\- he kept out at 
interest. 

November 27, 1S45, Mr. Brown and Mi.ss 
Charlotte Hendricks, of the town of Varick, 
were united in marriage. The lady was born in 
the town of Fayette, August 7, 1826, and was 
the daughter of George and Mar\- (Shankwaller) 
Hendricks. Mr. Hendricks died when Mrs. 
Brown was .six years old, and her mother was 
then joined in wedlock with George Miller, the 
maternal grandfather of our subject. 

For a few years after his marriage Jacob Brown 
farmed the Miller homestead of two hundred 
and sixty-seven acres, and then purchased the 
one hundred and four acres which he now 
owns. One- fourth of the land was covered with 
timber, but this he cleared and improved, making 
of it a very valuable and productive tract. At 
the time he came into possession of the place 
there was a new brick hou.se upon it, and in this 
he lived with his famih' for many years, or until 
1861, when he came to Bearytown, buying one of 
the pretty homes fcnnid in this village. Some of 
the barns and other buildings on tlie farm he 
replaced with new ones. 

Mr. Brown cast his first Presidential vote in 
1848, and ever since has been a .strong advocate 
of Democratic principles and candidates. With 
his wife, he is a devoted member of the Lutlieran 
Church, which denomination Mrs. Brown joined 
in 1859, and he two years later. He is active in 
church work, and for many years has been 
Tru.stee, while his wife has been a Director in the 
Ladies' Aid Societ\ for a period of twenty four 
years, being one of the original members of that 
body. The ladies of this organization have 



446 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL R£,CORD. 



quilted over five hundred quilts during its exist- 
ence, and in 1882 thej- raised over $1,000. Al- 
together, they have earned over $2,000, which 
amount has been donated for various purposes. 
The lives of Mr. and Mrs. Brown are ruled by 
upright and honorable principles, and everj-- 
where they go they make friends, and are re- 
spected and loved by all who know them. 






•^- 



r)EV. SAMUEL H. GRIDLEY, D. D., was 
|A born in Paris, now Kirkland, Oneida Coun- 
r\ ty, N. Y., on the 28th of December, 1802. 
His father, though a farmer, and of moderate 
means, desired to educate him for another voca- 
tion. Accordingly, at the age of twelve years, he 
commenced the study of the Latin language, and 
as Hamilton College had been recently' planted in 
his native town, his literary inspiration was con- 
firmed and increased. His preparation for col- 
lege was much interrupted, his studies yielding 
aimuall}- to labors on the farm during the sum- 
mer. 

In 1820 a change in Dr. Gridley's religious 
feelings fixed his choice of a profe.ssion, and in 
1822 he entered the Sophomore class in college, 
which he left at the end of the year on account of 
impaired health. He subsequently resumed hi.s 
studies under the direction of a former preceptor, 
and in the autumn of 1826 became a member of 
the Auburn Theological Seminary, a body of 
Congregational ministers, and, having subse- 
quently passed some ten months in missionary la- 
bors in Springville, Erie County, he was called to 
the pastorate of the Congregational Church of 
Perry, Genesee (now Wyoming) County. From 
1830 to 1836 he spent with this congregation, 
where, by reason of the intelligence of the peoj)le, 
his abilities were severely tested, and neces-sity 
laid upon him the most diligent study. He came 
to Waterloo in April of the latter year, and his 



continuance as pastor for a term of thirty-seven 
years may be regarded as proof of the confidence 
existing between minister and people. 

The life and character of Dr. Gridley are well 
known. He largely shared in efforts to preser\-e 
and honor the history of the place of his adoption, 
to educate the young, and promote the social 
elevation and happiness of the people. As a 
minister of the Gospel, he endeavored to study 
the things that make for peace, and in prosecu- 
ting his duties growing out of his relations to 
his own church he has maintained a careful re- 
gard for the feelings and interests of other Chris- 
tian congregations. He was "known and read 
of the people' ' as the friend and abettor of liber- 
t}-, and as the unswerving opponent of oppres- 
sion and slavery. When, in the late civil strug- 
gle in our country, the Government, turning its 
eyes to Christian ministers, asked their prayers 
and active sympathies, he stood in his lot, and, 
forgetting all party considerations, sustained with 
his influence the existing administration in its 
efforts to maintain the union of the states. When 
called upon to perform funeral ceremonies over 
soldiers who had fallen in the struggle, he com- 
forted the bereaved both with scriptural con.sola- 
tion and with the thought that their loved ones 
had died in a noble cause. 

Dr. Gridley shared largely in the joys and sor- 
rows of the people among whom he lived. To 
rejoice with them that rejoice, and to weep with 
them that weep, was the habit of his life. He 
united in marriage some seven hundred couples, 
and conducted the burial service over .some two 
thousand who sleep in the cemeteries of the dead. 
A life involving so much and so varied labor was 
not spent without honor. Though not a grad- 
uate of a college, the honorary degree of Master 
of Arts was awarded him, soon after entering the 
ministry, by the Trustees of Hamilton College, 
and subsequently the degree of Doctor of Divinity 
was conferred by the same institution. For many 
years he held the position of a Trustee both in 
this college and the theological seminary at Au- 
burn. In the more responsible services imposed 
by ecclesiastical bodies, he had his full share. 
In the semi-centennial anniversary of the Auburn 



J 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL Rl'CORD. 



447 



Seminary he gave, by appointment, tlie historical 
address, an effort involving great and patient re- 
search, and which was received witli high com- 
mendation bv tlie friends of the institntion. 



\_7 



(Tames B. BEARDSLEV, deceased, was a 
I well known citizen of Schuyler County, one 
Q) who enjoyed the respect and esteem of many 
friends, and had a good reputation as a progress- 
ive farmer and true Christian. He was born in 
the town oi Catharine, Schuyler County, May 
23, 1824. His father, Stephen Beardsley, a na- 
tive of Connecticut, came to this county in i8oi, 
with his father, James, who purchased a large tract 
of land and embarked in farm pursuits, in which 
he continued until his decease. On Stephen's 
removal here, this county was a part of Chemung, 
and in the early history of that county, as well as 
in Schuyler after its separation, he was a promin- 
ent figure and did his share in the development 
of the country. In the year 18 19, on his mar- 
riage, Stephen left the home of his cliildhood, 
living with his wife's family, and caring for her 
parents, who lived in North Settlement, where 
our subject was born and grew to manhood, as- 
sisting his father in opening up the new country. 
He received a limited education in the sub- 
scription schools, and remained at home until his 
marriage. That event occurred July 9, 1846, 
and united him with Miss Almira Hagar, daugh- 
ter of William and Deniaris ( Rood ) Hagar. Her 
mother was a .si.ster of Judge Simeon Rood, a 
well known historical character of central New 
York. 

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Beardsley 
commenced housekeeping in the town of Cath- 
arine, on the place then owned by his mother. 
After three years the homestead came into his 
pos.session, by inheritance and by the jxirchase of 
the interests of the other heirs. He resided there 



for some years and carried on the farm very suc- 
cessfully, then sold the place to Thomas Charles, 
and it is now owned by that famil\-, and known 
as the Charles Farm. From that place Mr. Beards- 
ley removed to Odessa, where he engaged in the 
mercantile business, and where he made his home 
for seven years. Selling out, he purchased land 
on Fool's Hill, to which he removed and again en- 
gaged in farming. In 1870 he again sold out, 
and purchased the Grant Thompson Farm, one 
mile further north, and there he made his home 
until his death, October 21, 1893. 

Mr. Beardsley left his home to attend the 
World's Fair in Chicago, going first to Cato, 
Cayuga County, to take his married daughter, 
Mrs. Sara'h Wood, who resided at that place. 
They proceeded on their way to Chicago, but at 
Battle Creek, Mich., were both killed in a rail- 
road accident. The body of Mrs. Wood was so 
mangled as to be unrecognizable, but her remains 
were identified by her husband from the clothing 
she wore. The claim was disputed by a pin si- 
cian, who claimed the body as that of his sister 
and had it removed to his home, but burial was 
intercepted by a dispatch from the coroner, and 
the body was returned to Battle Creek. Mr. 
Wood established his claim, and accompanied 
the body to their old home, where it was laid 
away in the village cemetery to await the judg- 
ment day. She left five children, the eldest of 
whom was but thirteen years of age. The re- 
mains of Mr. Beardsley were brought to his old 
home and iuterrel in Glenw )od Cemetery, at 
Watkiiis. • 

An active, energetic, capable man, .Mr, Beards- 
ley took a prominent part in all public affairs. 
He was in sympathy with the w>)rk of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Clinch, and a.ssi.sted in the erection 
of the new churcii building at Odessa. A strong 
temperance man, for some years he was identified 
with the Good Templars. He and his wife liad 
three children, namely: Stephen R.; Sarali I)., 
who married Mr. Wooti, and was killed, as before 
staled; and Stella I., wife of Charles H. Brown, 
a farmer living near the village of Ode.ssa. On 
tlie death of Mrs. Beardsley's father, in the sum- 
mer of 1881, she came into pos.session of a desira- 



448 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ble piece of village property in Watkins, where 
she now lives in comfort and retirement. After 
the death of her husband, she purchased the farm 
where they had toiled, and where she had seen 
her children happily married. 




HARRISON TROUTMAN. We take pleas- 
ure in presenting to our readers an outline 
of the life of Mr. Troutuian, who, although 
deceased, is well remembered by the residents of 
Seneca Count}', and more especially bj' the citi- 
zens of the town of Fayette, as he was one of its 
enterprising and energetic inhabitants. He was 
born in Albanj- Township, Berks County, Pa., 
May lo, 1825, to Solomon and Susan (Moyer) 
Troutnian. When two years old he was brought 
by his parents to this state and county. His fa- 
ther, who was in limited circumstances, rented 
land and mo\-ed from place to place for many 
years. To his son, our subject, he gave a fair 
common-school education, and as Harrison was 
the next to the youngest in a large family of nine 
children, he was early compelled not only to 
make his own waj* in the world, but to aid in the 
support of the other members of the household. 

In early life Harrison Troutman learned the 
trade of a carpenter, and this he followed until 
1882. In 1857 he purchased ten acres of land, 
and on this he established his father and mother, 
who were then well advanced in years. He con- 
tinued to live with them on this property until 
August, 1869, when occurred the demi.se of his 
father, his mother having died previously, in 
May, 1865. 

The marriage of our subject with Miss Susan 
Biery, of Fayette, was celebrated February 10, 
1863. This lady was born January 9, 1841, and 
was the daughter of Stephen and .Sarah (Ruch) 
Biery, both natives of Pennsylvania. In addition 



to working at his trade, Mr. Troutman rented a 

farm, which he cultivated for a few years and then 
abandoned in order to devote his attention to 
fruit-raising, planting apple, peach and pear trees 
in large numbers. Later he added berries and 
the smaller fruits. This enterprise proved to be 
a very profitable one, and his widow now carries 
it on with the help of her only son, Clarence. He 
was born October 27, 1869, and is an energetic 
and capable young man. After pursuing his stud- 
ies in the common schools, he took a course at the 
Williams & Rogers Business College of Roclies- 
ter, receiving a diploma from that institution 
June 26, 1 89 1. Previous to this time he taught 
school, and thereby earned the money to pay his 
way through college. His mother, who is also a 
well informed lady, taught school first when only 
sixteen years of age, and followed the vocation 
successfully for five years, or until her marriage. 
Our subject was a Democrat in politics. His 
son, however, is a strong Prohibitionist and has 
done much toward furthering the interests of this 
movement in his community. Mr. Troutman 
was a member of the Lutheran Church, to which 
his wife and son also belong. He was a man of 
sterling integrity and gained for himself a good 
competence through his own well directed efforts. 



"SJEORGE a. BONNELL, who is known all 
_ over the state as an extensive grower of 
JJ seed potatoes of the best varieties, is the 
owner of a well cultivated farm of one hundred 
and thirty-five acres near Waterloo, Seneca Coun- 
ty, which is devoted almost entirely to growing 
this commodity. Northwestern New York pro- 
duces the most vigorous seed potatoes, and dur- 
ing the World's Fair our subject sent thirty va- 
rieties to Chicago for the state of New York, 
and later placed on exhibition thirty more vari- 
eties under his own name, for which he received 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



449 



two gold medals. The "Empire State Express," 
"Fast Mail" and "Through Freight" are some 
of his late productions. 

The ancestors ot our subject came to America 
in company with William Peini, and were also 
Quakers. The grandfather, Henr\- Bonnell, was 
born and reared in the state of New Jersey, where 
he was also married. He came to New York in 
company with Richard Dell, another Quaker, 
who went to the land-office at Albany and pur- 
chased a farm for both of them. The land was 
cultivated and improved, and Mr. Boiniell there 
made his home for several years, when he re- 
moved with his family to Wayne County, set- 
tling upon property near Clyde. There his son 
Henry, Jr., the father of our subject, was reared 
to mature years, although his birth occurred on 
the estate where George A., of this history, now 
lives. 

Henry Bonnell, Jr., was married to Miss Mar}- 
Dell in the old Quaker Church in the town of 
Waterloo, Seneca County, and soon thereafter 
purchased the land which our subject now owns, 
but which was formerly occupied by his father. 
The latter continued to live in Wayne County un- 
til his decease, which occurred July 28, 1829. 
His good wife, who was the mother of a large fam- 
ily of children, survived him many years, passing 
away in Wayne County, March 17, 1848. 

The father of our subject was a great lover of 
poetry, and could repeat passages from memory 
by the hour. He was also quite a poet himself, 
and a short time before his decease wrote a very 
beautiful poem, entitled, "A Synopsis of Life." 
His wife was one of the best of women, faithi'ul, 
loving, and generous to a fault. She was a true 
helpmate in all the departments of life, and in the 
devotion to and care of her children had no peer, 
pursuing the even tenor of her way with such 
rectitude that they looked upon her as one who 
could not make a mi.stake. 

The .subject of this sketch was born on the farm 
where he now resides, April 28, 1849. He was 
the youngest in the parental family of five chil- 
dren, and was given such an education as could 
be gained in the .schools of the district. His fa- 
ther, who was one of the pioneers of Seneca 



County, early in life began growing potatoes on 

an extensive scale, and as .soon as he was old 
enough George A. assisted him, thus becoming 
familiar with all the details of the business. 

Mr. Bonnell was married, on Christmas Day, 
1876, to Miss May E. Halsted, then a resident of 
Walworth, Wayne County, N. Y. .She was born 
in Cayuga County, August 20, 1852, her par- 
ents being Reuben and Hainiah (Halsted) Hal- 
sted. Her education was received in the acad- 
emy in Cayuga Countj^ and she remained with 
her parents until her marriage. By the union of 
our subject and his wife there was born one 
daughter, Adah N., her birth occurring Jami- 
ary 9, 1887. 

Our subject has always lived on the farm which 
he now owns. Besides his other interests, he has 
a fine poultry -yard on his farm, and makes a 
specialty of raising the Rose Comb Black Mi- 
norcas, the vSicilians, Buff Wyandottes, Buff 
Plymouth Rocks, White Rocks, Black Lang.shans 
and Golden Sebright Bantams. In his political 
views our subject is a strong Republican, and his 
motto is, ' 'The United States Against the World. ' ' 



^ ^5^|4. .(e)J 



(^ 



pQlLLIAM H. LAHR. It is possible that 
\ A / the gentleman of whom we write has an 
V V experience extending over as many years 
in this particular locality as almo.st anyone in this 
county, for he was born in the town of Fayette, 
Seneca County, where he now makes his home, 
February 17, 1841. His parents were Henry 
and Catherine (Singer) Lahr, the former of whom 
was born in Uniontown, Northumberland Coun- 
ty, Pa., in the year 1812. He came to this coun- 
ty when about twenty-one or twenty-two* years 
of age, and here he married Miss Singer, a na- 
tive of Seneca County. 

The father of our subject came to this /section 



450 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



in limited circumstances, and secured possession 
of a small farm. He was taken with typhoid 
fever, however, with which disease he died, as 
did also his wife and two children, in the year' 
1858, within two weeks of each other. Nine 
sons and daughters were thus left orphans, and 
as none of them was old enough to assume the 
management of the land, it was sold. Of this 
familj-, seven were sons, five of whom served as 
soldiers during the late war, namely: Aaron B., 
Peter F., Warren M., Marcellus A. and our sub- 
ject. The latter enlisted in the fall of 1862 in 
Company D, One Hundred and Twentj- -sixth 
New York Infantry, in which company his broth- 
ers Aaron and Peter were also mustered. This 
regiment formed a part of the Sixth Army Corps 
and served a part of the time under General Sher- 
man. William H. served until the close of the 
war, during which time he participated in many 
ot the hard-fought battles of that period, among 
them being the battle of Gettysburg and Harper's 
Ferrj-. After the surrender of the la.st-named 
place, Mr. Lahr was sent with a number of his 
comrades to the Cliicago Parole Caui]3, where 
he remained until the following spring. He then 
participated in the Grand Review in Washing- 
ton, after which he was discharged and nuistered 
out of service. 

On his return from the war, our subject began 
working at whatever he could find to do, and, be- 
ing very handy in the use of tools, found plenty of 
carpenter work. He was married, in April, 1867, 
to Miss Pernina Pontius, a native of the town of 
Junius, but who was then living in the town of 
Fayette. Her parents were Martin and Nancy 
(Hill) Pontius, well-to-do residents of the former 
town. For several years after his marriage Mr. 
Lahr continued to work at his trade, and al.so oper- 
ated a farm on shares a part of the time until 1887, 
in which \ear he purchased the tract of one hun- 
dred acres which he now occupies. This place 
was considerably run down when he took po.sses- 
sion, but with characteristic energy he worked 
hard to improve it, and has now the satisfaction 
of knowing it is classed among the most prixlnc- 
live in the county. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Lahr there were born eleven 



children, of whom we make the following men- 
tion: Edward is well educated, aud at home; 
Cora married Fred Jollj-, a farmer of Faj'ette; 
Jessie is the wife of Bartholomew Cronin, and lives 
in Waterloo; Libbie, Henry, George, Warren, 
Adelbert and Spencer are at home with their 
parents, and two died in infancy. 

In politics our subject is a stanch Republican, 
and cast his first Presidential vote for Lincoln 
in 1864, while in the army, although he after- 
ward learned that his ballot never reached home. 
He still keeps up his acquaintance with many of 
his old comrades, and is a member of the Veteran 
Union at Waterloo. 




~" DWIN S. BARRY was born in the town 
'S of Ovid, Octoljer 6, 1843, his parents being 
__ Samuel L. and Mary { Iladley ) Barry, na- 
tives of Vermont, the former of whom came to 
this county about the year 1834. He was mar- 
ried that same year, at the age of twenty-si.x. 
All his life he followed farming, and acquired a 
farm of one hundred and ten acres. He died in 
March, 1881, his wife dying in the month of No- 
vember, three years later. When Seneca Coun- 
ty was surveyed by the Government, a plat of 
ground containing three acres in the southern 
])art of what is now the town of Ovid was set 
apart to be used as a cemetery, and the first body 
buried there was that of James Bloomer, who died 
September 22, 1799, aged thirty-one years. Our 
subject's father was .sexton of this cemetery, and 
from 1842 to 1879 buried two hundred and sixty- 
six bodies. This cemetery, which is now nearly 
full, is not divided into family lots, but usually 
each body is placed by the side of the one which 
preceded it. In this cemetery He the remains of 
the parents of the subject of this sketch. 

vSamuel Barry, our subject's grandfather, was a 
native of Vermont, and was twice married, be- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



451 



coming the father of three sons by each marriage. 
The first of these children I)y his first wife, James, 
came to this county, and was killed by a runaway 
team, November 22, 1S33. Joseph also came to 
this county, and was followed by Samuel Barry, 
the father of our subject. Holland, Patton and 
Royal, the children of his second wife, have re- 
mained in A'ermont. 

Mr. Barry, our subject, had three .sisters and 
one brother. Adelia O. is deceased; Helen E. 
and Emma T. are unmarried; and James was ac- 
cidentally shot while at .school. The father was 
a Republican, and in the Baptist Church held 
the office of Deacon. His son has followed in 
his footsteps in the matter ol politics, but not in 
religion. As a boy, he attended the district and 
common schools of the time, and at the age of 
twent^'-five was prepared to purchase a grist- 
mill and carry it on successfully and honorably. 
In this business he engaged for more than a 
quarter of a centurj', and is now interested in 
farming, owing a fine place of one hundred and 
sixty acres. Besides his other interests, he con- 
ducts a profitable ice business, and altogether has 
led an active and bus)- life. 

Our subject was married, October 26, 1864, to 
Deborah, the daughter of Seborn F. and Eliza- 
beth A. (Myers) Smallej-. She was born in the 
town of Covert. Our subject and his wife have 
no children. 



EHARLES H.HUTCHINSON. In the town 
of Fayette, Seneca County, may be seen a 
fine farm, upon which has been expended 
much care in cultivation and development. The 
land is well tilled, ad(jrned with iilenly of trees, 
and, in fact, the seventy acres which are included 
in this tract are classed among the most product- 
ive in the localit}-. This well ordered place be- 
longs to the gentleman whose name is inscribed 



above. He was born not far from his present 
place of residence, in Geneva, Ontario County, 
February 13, 1853. 

The parents of our subject were Jo.seph and 
Mary (Tucker) Hutchinson, the latter of wliom 
died when Charles H. was a lad of seven years, 
leaving two other children older than he. Four 
years later he was taken by his father to a farm 
which he owned just north of Geneva, and there 
the latter is living at the present writing. On 
that farm our subject lived until the year prior to 
attaining his majority, and in the mean time had 
been given a fair education in the schools carried 
on in the district. About this time his father 
gave him his time, and also a fourth-interest in 
the products of a farm which he was renting, 
and which was known as the Middlevvood estate. 
This place is located near where Charles H. now 
lives, and comprises two hundred and forty acres, 
which he operated together with his brother and 
father for a period of eleven years. At the end 
of the time above mentioned, our subject returned 
to the old home firm with his father, where he 
remained for four years, aiding in its cultivation. 
He proved a very successful agriculturist, and 
has been greatly prospered in undertakings of his 
own in this line. 

Mr. Hutchinson was married, December 29, 
1886, to Miss Carrie, daughter of Benjamin and 
Jane (Gouger) Lerch, both of whom are now 
deceased. Soon after his marriage, our subject 
began housekeeping on the old Lerch I-'arm, and 
very shortly thereafter purchased the interest of 
the other heirs in the property, so that now he is 
the sole owner of the estate. He has made 
many improvements in the way of buildings, and 
has also added a vineyard of four acres, which 
always produces a good crop. 

To Mr. and l\Irs. Hutchinson there were born 
three children, namely: Edith Nellie, whose 
birth occurred February 25, 1888; Ray Lerch, 
June 2, 1890; and Margaret, November 15, 1892. 
The latter died in infancy. Following in the 
footsteps of his honored father, our subject is a 
true-blue Republican, casting his first Presi- 
dential vote for R. B. Hayes in 1876. He has 
alwaj's been active in public affairs and has 



452 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



served at various times as Inspector of Elec- 
tions. Religiously he was reared in the faith ot 
the Episcopal Church, while his good wife is a 
member of the Presbyterian Church. 

Joseph Hutchin.son was born in Cumberland 
Count\-, England, whence he came to America 
with his parents when a boy. His father, Otis 
Hutchinson, at that time settled in Ontario 
County, where he made his home until his de- 
cease. His mother, it is thought, was born in 
the state of Vermont, and upon coming to New 
York with her parents made her home in Ontario 
County. 

Joseph Hutchinson has been Supervisor of the 
town of Geneva for a tuimber of years, and has 
also rendered efficient ser\-ice as Overseer of the 
Poor. 



•*-H 



t^*- 



■*->->'^l:IS'^^r<-*- 



EH ARLE.S G. WINFIELD, associated in bus- 
iness with George C. Walsh & Co., is one 
of the most prominent men of the village ot 
Tyrone, and is in every way a gentleman whose 
sketch it gives us great pleasure to place in this 
Record. He is a native of this state, and was 
born in Warwick, Orange County, March 3, 
1835. He continued to make his home there until 
1854, the year in which he came to Schuyler 
County with his father, also Charles G., and 
with him settled on a farm near Odessa. 

Our subject made his home on the above farm 
until 1861, when he removed to Toledo, Ohio, 
and engaged in the grocery busine.ss in that city 
until 1882. That year he disposed of his stock 
of goods, and, returning to his native state, lo- 
cated at once in Tyrone, where he purchased a 
farm near the village. This property was for- 
merly owned by Henry N. Shannon, and here 
Mr. Winfield lived until 1892, wdien he sustained 
a severe loss in the destruction of his buildings 
bv fire. He then traded his farm for a stock of 



merchandise in Savona. N. Y., which he removed 
to Tyrone, where he has since been engaged in 
business, in company with his son-in-law, Mr. 
Walsh. They are well patronized by residents of 
the surrounding country, and are men who are 
highly regarded, and of whom the village may 
well be proud. 

The marriage of our subject occurred at Tyrone 
on Christmas Day, 1862. The lady of his choice 
was Mi.ss Adeline M., daughter of Henrj- N. and 
Huldah (Briggs) Shaiuion, both of whom are now- 
deceased. To Henry Shannon and his wife there 
were born five children, of whom Mrs. Winfield 
was the second-born, her birth occurring in Star- 
key, Yates County, this state, March i, 1844. 

To our subject and his estimable wife there 
have been granted three children, namely: Edna 
D. , who is now the wife of Charles Stewart, of 
Springfield, Mass.; Augusta J., the wife of 
George C. Walsh, whose sketch appears on an- 
other page in this volume: and Huldah A., who 
married Willet Coon, of Savona. 

Our subject's mother, formerly Amanda Ellis, 
was born in Warwick, and departed this life in 
Bloomingburg, N. Y., where also her husband 
passed away. Charles G. is one of those public- 
spirited men who do a town good. During his 
early life he was full of energy and ambition, and 
he now displays unusual judgm2nt in the man- 
agement of affairs, and has all the requirements 
for a successful business career. In politics he is 
a Democrat, and religiously is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, with which denom- 
ination his good wife is also connected. 



•♦>^®®">C;«- 



HARVEY E. BROWN, M. D. The eminent 
yoiuig physician whose name introduces this 
sketch impresses even those who meet him 
in a casual manner as a man who has drifted 
easily and naturally into the medical profession. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



453 



who realizes that he has made no mistake in the 
choice of his vocation, ami who rt.-i.-ls ihoruiiglily 
at home in the position which he now occnpies. 
Dr. Brown has fonnd in the study and practice 
of medicine an occupation more congenial to his 
tastes than anything else could possibly have been. 
He is now living in Fayette, Seneca County, 
where he enjoys a lucrative practice. 

Our subject is a native of this county, and was 
born February 15, 1866, in the town of \'arick, to 
John and Mary J. (Stahl ) Brown. His parents 
are both living in the above town, where they are 
classed among its best residents. The father was 
born in Niagara County, N. Y., while the mother 
is a native of Seneca County. They were farm- 
ers by occupation, and therefore our subject was 
reared in the country, where he attended the dis. 
trict school. The family consisted of five chil- 
dren, of whom he was the third in order of birth. 
When only seventeen years of age an opportunity 
presented itself whereby he could commence 
reading medicine, and, entering the office of Dr. 
E. \V. Bogardus, of Fayette, he .studied under 
his instruction for a year. Believing in the pro- 
fession, and feeling himself fitted to meet its re- 
quirements, none of the numerous obstacles which 
he fonnd from time to time in his pathway was 
allowed to more than temporarily cheqk his prog- 
ress toward the goal of his ambition. 

In 1885 Mr. BroW'U entered the medical de- 
partment of the University of Buffalo, and dur- 
ing the three years which followed he was 
obliged to borrow money to pay his expenses. 
He was just twenty-one years of age when he 
was graduated, in 1887. Returning to his nati\-e 
county, he engaged in practice at Hayt Corners, 
thoroughly prepared and fully equipped to meet 
any professional demands that might be made 
upon him. He remained there until 1889, and 
in the spring of that year came to Fayette, where 
he is now established. Succe.ss has attended his 
efforts from the start, and, although practically a 
self-made man, he has won an honorable position 
among the professional men of the county. 

Dr. Brown was married, .Sepember 29, 1891, to 
Miss C. Anna Jones, of the town of \'arick. She 
was born in Canoga, this county, and has become 



the mother of a daughter, Margaret, who was born 

Jul_\- 10, 1892. In politics the Doctor is a stanch 
Democrat, and ca.st his first Presidential vote for 
Cleveland in 1888. He has been identified with 
the Masonic order since becoming of age, and has 
filled \arious chairs in the same, being now Wor- 
.shipful Master. He also belongs to the Seneca 
County Medical A.ssociation. 






30HN T. ROBERSON. A plain .statenient of 
the facts embraced in the life of Mr Rober- 
.son, who is Postmaster of Vale, is all that we 
profess to be able to give in this volume. His 
career has been found to be that of one who.se en- 
tire course in life has been marked by great hon- 
esty and fidelit>- of purpose. He has met with 
.substantial results in the different enterprises in 
which he has been engaged, and is well known 
to the people of Seneca County. 

Mr. Roberson was born in Candice, Livingston 
County, N. Y., January 10, 1844. His parents 
were Samuel O. and Mahala (Trimmer) Roberson, 
both of whom were born in Hunterdon County, 
N. J. Prior to their marriage they came to Liv- 
ingston County, this state, where the father, who 
was a millwright, worked at his trade. He later 
became the owner of a valuable piece of land, and 
durnig the latter years of his life gave his atten- 
tion to its cultivation. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on 
his father's farm, and, when eighteen years of 
age, became a student in the Mt. Morris High 
School. During the progre.ss of the late war he 
became a Union soldier, and was nnistered in as 
a member of Company B, One Hundred and 
Thirtieth New York Volunteers. For one year he 
was stationed with his regiment in Suffolk, Ya., 
and participated in many engagements and skir- 
mishes, among which were the battles of the De- 



454 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



serted House aud Black Water, also the siege of 
Suffolk. Later he was transferred to the First 
New York Dragoons, which had been supplied 
with the very choicest of arms by the Government. 
He saw service at Centerville, Md., near where 
occurred the battle of the Rapidan, and was after- 
ward present at the battle of Winchester, when 
Sheridan made his famous ride, aud heard that 
noted general give his orders. He participated 
in twenty-eight engagements in all, and at the 
battle of the Rapidan the index finger of his right 
hand was shot through by a Union soldier whose 
carbine was discharged accidentally. Mr. Rober- 
son was mustered out of service at the close of 
the war, July 19, 1865. 

On his return home from the field of battle 
Mr. Roberson began working out on farms by 
the month, this becoming necessary on account 
of the death of his father, who departed this life 
while he was in the army. In October, 1868, he 
went to Blue Island, a suburb of Chicago, where 
he attended school the following winter, and then 
began work on the street cars as conductor. He 
held this positiou just one month, when he re- 
signed aud became switchman for the Lake 
Shore Road, remaining with that corporation 
until 1869. During the greater part of that time 
he had charge of a train at the Union Stock 
Yards, acting in the capacity of trainmaster. 
For the following twenty-one years he was yard- 
master for the Southwesti rn Sy.stem of the Penn- 
sylvania Central, commonly knowu as the Pan- 
handle Route. The last >ear he was night 
superintendent of the yards. 

While in the World's Fair City Mr. Roberson 
was married to Miss Lydia A. Van Sickle, a native 
of the town of Varick, Seneca County, but who at 
that time was living in Chicago. Mr. Roberson 
continued to make his home in that city until 
1891, being at that time yardmaster of the Penn- 
sylvania Central. About that time he was given 
a leave of absence of nine months, and came on a 
visit lo this county. While here he purchased a 
tract of one hundred acres of land, and succeeded 
in getting a postoffice established at Yale. Con- 
cluding to make his permanent home here, he 
resigned his position, and was made Postmaster. 



He is the present incumbent, and is also propri- 
etor of a general store at Yale. In politics he is 
a stanch Republican, and cast his first Presiden- 
tial vote for Grant in 1868. In local affairs, 
however, he is indepenflent. He is an adherent 
of the Presbyterian faith, and while in Chicago 
was connected with the First Presbyterian Church 
of Englewood, of which his wife was also a mem- 
ber. Socially he is a Grand Army man, and a 
member of George H. Thomas Post No. 5, of 
Chicago. 

To Mr. aud Mrs. Roberson there have been 
granted two children, Cora and Charles Ernest, 
both of whom were born in Chicago. The daugh- 
ter is a graduate of the Metropolitan Business 
College of Chicago, and is a stenographer of con- 
siderable note. Both of the children at the pres- 
ent time are living at home with their parents. 



.|>2Vi 




x«— 



V /Irs. arazina Fleming, who is now 

y { 1895) in her one hundred and second 5"ear, 
(9 and is one of the oldest residents of Seneca 
County, was born in Ovid, N. Y., October 9, 1794, 
being a daughter of Timothy and Marj' (Gorham) 
Cone. Her parents, who were originally from 
Connecticut, came to this county in 1793, at a pe- 
riod so early in its history that Indians still 
roamed over the spar.sely-settled tracts of land. 
Here she spent her girlhood years, and, aiding in 
the housework on the farm, was trained for the 
active supervision of a home of her own. 

The first hu.sband of our subject was John 
Leddick, who died some eight years after their 
marriage. December 
of Robert Fleming 
one of the pioneers of the county. Sixteen 3'ears 
after her marriage, she was again widowed, Mr. 
Fleming dying February 3, 1858. She has no 
children. The family of which she is a member 



7, 1826, she became the wife 
a farmer by occupation and 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



455 



consisted of eight children, all of whom are de- 
ceased excepting herself, the oldest of the number, 
and a younger brother, who is seventy-six years 
of age. 

October 9, 1894, Mrs. Fleming celebrated the 
one hundredth anniversary of her birth, on which 
occasion over one hundred persons were present 
and congratulated her upon having rounded out a 
full century. When a girl, she united with the 
Presbyterian Church, and hers has always been a 
useful, sincere Christian life. Notwithstanding 
her advanced years, she is in possession of all her 
faculties and still retains much of the mental 
strength that characterized her in earlier years. 



-4— *-•- 



-»■-«— f- 



QHARLES M. ROBINSON. The name of 
1 1 this much respected citizen is well known in 
U Seneca County, for he has been successfully 
engaged in the arduous duties of his farm in this 
locality for many years, and now owns one of the 
most productive and best cultivated tracts in the 
locality. This property consists of one hundred 
and twenty acres in the town of Fayette, where 
Mr. Robinson lives, besides a portion of the old 
homestead. 

Our subject was born in the town of \'arick, 
this county, January 22, 1845, his parents being 
Norman and Sarah (Ellwood) Robinson, the 
former a native of Cayuga County, and the latter 
of Allegany County, this state. Norman Robin- 
son was brought to this locality by his father, 
John Robinson, when a boy, and with him lived 
in the town of Varick, becoming one of the sub- 
stantial residents of the county. In politics he 
was a Whig until the formation of the Republi- 
can party, when he joined its ranks and was ever 
after a warm advocate of its principles. A very 
public-spirited man, he was one of the first to 
favor any advanced step in the county, either in 



an agricultural or educational way. In the ranks 
of his party he was very popular, and by it was 
elected to various positions of trust. In religi- 
ous affairs he was a Methodist, being a Class- 
leader and a prominent worker in that denomina- 
tion, and was ahso Steward for many years, con- 
tributing liberally to the support of the congrega- 
tion. He was a strong temperance raan,"and 
was connected with the Good Templars' Society. 
Much of the time he was in poor health, but his 
death, June 7, 1878, resulted from injuries re- 
ceived by being thrown from a road-scraper. 
His wife still survives, and makes her home on 
the old place. 

The parental family included four children, of 
whom our subject was the eldest, and all are 
living with one exception. Charles M. grew to 
manhood on the farm in the town of Varick, and 
after completing his education in the schools of 
that neighborhood, carried on his studies for one 
year in 0\'id vSeminary. One year prior to attain- 
ing his majority his father purchased a tract of 
land, which he desired to deed to our subject as 
soon as the latter had accumulated $1,000, which 
was to be paid on it. Charles worked a farm on 
shares until about 1873, when he established a 
general merchandise business, carrying on a 
profitable trade for five years. In 1878 he be- 
came the proprietor of the fann whereon he now 
makes his home, and in the cultivation of this 
tract he has been more than usualh- successful 
and prosperous. 

Mr. Robinson was married on Thanksgiving 
Day, in i88o, to Mi.ss Charlotte Hendricks, of 
Fayette. She was born, however, in Bennetts- 
burg, Schuyler County, and was the daughter of 
Henry and Melissa (Ellis) Hendricks. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Robinson was born one child, who died 
in infancy. 

Following in the footsteps of his honored father, 
our subject has always voted for Republican can- 
didates, and in 1868 cast his first Presidential 
ballot for Grant. He has been Inspector of Elec- 
1 tions, but aside from this has always been too 
busy with his own nffairs to give much attention 
j to politics. Religiously he is a devoted member 
I of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and socially 



456 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



is a member of East Fayette Lodge No. 40, 
P. of H. In May of the year 1890 he was 
deprived of the companionship of his devoted 
wife. She was a most estimable lad\-, and was 
loved by all who had the pleasure of her acquaint- 
ance. Mr. Robinson is pleasantly located, and 
commands the respect of the whole neighborhood. 






*ys Ax\C BELLES is one of the prominent farm- 
I ers and stock-raisers in Seneca County, and 
J^ is noted for the extensive knowledge he pos- 
sesses in his line. His estate, which is located 
three and one-half miles from Waterloo, in the 
town of Fayette, is well cultivated in every par- 
ticular. It is devoted mainly to raising stock, 
and a specialty is also made of feeding sheep for 
the city markets. 

The family name was changed from Belles- 
felt to Belles about 1760, just ten years after Bar- 
net Bellesfelt, the great-grandfather of our subject, 
and his wife came to America from Holland. To 
them was born a son, John, August 20, 1755, 
who died January 28, 1829. He married Eliza- 
beth Holcombe, whose birth occurred October 
14, 1758, and to them were born ten children, 
Barnet, Charlotte, Mary, Eleanor, Samuel, Re- 
becca, Phebe, Uriel, Isaac and John. The eighth 
of this family, Uriel, was born October 22, 1829, 
and departed this life September 7, 1863. He 
married Miss Catherine Van Ormer, and to them 
was granted a family of four children. 

Our subject is a native of New Jersey, having 
been born in Hunterdon County, December 24, 
1824. His parents continued to re.side in New 
Jersey until Isaac reached his tenth year, when 
they came with their household to this state, tak- 
ing up their abode in the locality where our sub- 
ject is now living. Here Uriel Belles purchased 
one hundred and fortv-four acres of land, the 



greater portion of which was in its primitive 
wildness. As the years pas.sed by his farm grew 
to be well cultivated, and the greater part of it is 
now owned by our subject. 

The parental family included four children, of 
whom Isaac was the 50ungest but one. AmosH., 
the first-born, lived to be seventy-five years of 
age. He was a Methodist minister, and at the 
time of his decease was living in Newark, N. J., 
where he left a family. Catherine M., the widow 
of Frederick Schott, is living in South Waterloo. 
Uriel D., a resident of Waterloo, is married and 
has a family of two children. 

Uriel Belles affiliated with the Democratic 
party, but was not an office-seeker. He was a 
prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and aided very materially in establish- 
ing the first church of this denomination in his 
community. For some time he served as Trustee, 
and was always a regular attendant at the church 
services. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on 
the old place, which he helped to clear, and in 
the mean time attended the winter term of the 
district school. Upon attaining his majority he 
began working the homestead on shares, meeting 
with success in this chosen line of work. No- 
vember 13, 1847, he was married to Mi.ss Harriet 
P. Ruggles, then a resident of the town of 
Fayette, but who was born in New York City, 
where she was educated. Her parents were Al- 
bert and Rachel (Tilt) Ruggles, natives of New 
York City. 

To our subject and his estimable wife there 
were born five children, of whom the eldest son, 
Isaac Newton, departed this life when forty-two 
years of age. He was a graduate of the Water- 
loo Union School, and followed the vocation of a 
teacher through life. Emma I. is at home. Ella 
M., who was married to Charles E. Zartman, 
makes her home in Waterloo, and has one child, 
Mabel. Mary E. became the wife of Dr. Frank 
H. Moyer, and lives in Moscow, Livingston 
County, this state. Ida C. is at home. 

Mr. Belles takes a great interest in public af- 
fairs, and his position in politics is with the Dem- 
ocratic party. He cast his first Presidential vote 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



457 



ill 1848, when Van Buren was the successful 
candidate. He has been Assessor of his town 
for four years, and filled the office of Supen'isor 
for several terms, being Chairman of the Board 
for one year. The Methodist Episcopal Church 
finds in him one of its most worthy members. 
He became identified with this denomination 
when a lad of sixteen years, and has ever since 
been one of its staiichest supporters. For many 
years he led the choir and lias been both Trustee 
and Steward. He aided in the organization of 
the first Grange in his community, of which he 
was made Master. 



G: 



^M 



^ 



®^ 



=0 



/gjEORGE H. HULBERT, of Waterloo, was 
I— born in this village, November 14, 1S47, l)e- 
\^ ing a son of Reuben D. and Lydia A. 
( Ayres) Hulbert. His father was born in the 
town of Waterloo, February 17, 1819, and the 
mother, who.se birth occurred in \'ermoiit, April 
23, 1818, is still living in Waterloo. The former, 
who was for a time interested in oil speculations 
in Pennsylvania, occupied various positions of 
trust and honor in Seneca County, and at his 
death, in June, 1884, was univer.sally mourned. 
The paternal grandparents were Elijah and Re- 
becca Hulbert. 

The subject of this sketch is one of three chil- 
dren who attained mature years, the others being 
Moses H., who died at Rochester January i, 1893, 
leaving a wife and one son; and Ida J., wife of 
William B. Gawger, of Hoosick Falls, N. Y. In 
the public schools our subject gained the rudi- 
ments of his education, and later he attended the 
.seminary at Fulton, Oswego County. On return- 
ing home he entered tiie ofiice of his father, wlio 
then held the position of County Treasurer. In 
the office of the Seneca Coitiily Observer he 
learned the printer s trade, and afterward he 
taught school in Seneca and Schu\ler Counties. 



In the spring of 1870 he was employed as 
Deputy County Clerk under Calvin Willers. In 
1875 he was elected School Commissioner of 
Seneca County, and served for three years. 
Shortly after the expiration of his term of ofiice, 
in 1879, he entered the office of the Waterloo 
Observer, and continued as its editor for eighteen 
months, returning to the same position after 
twenty months spent elsewhere. His second 
connection with the paper covered a period of 
three and one-half years, and afterward he took 
charge of the advertising department of Ryan & 
McDonald. 

In the summer of 1890 Mr. Hulbert was city 
editor of the Oneida Demoeratic Union. In 1887 
he was elected Justice of the Peace, and lias 
served efficiently in that capacity. His marriage, 
October i, 1874, united him with Miss Esther, 
daughter of Thomas Ball, of Waterloo. They 
have three children, George D. , Esther P. and 
Robert M. Politically Mr. Hulbert is a Demo- 
crat, and is active in local political affairs. 




(TjlDNEY A. ESHENOUR, a successful farm- 
/\ er of the town of Fayette, Seneca County, 
ijj/ u.ses the best methods of fertilizing the soil 
and improving the land. He is intelligent, po.s.sess- 
ing superior mental attainments, and seeks to de- 
velop hiiiLself as well as liis agricultural inter- 
ests in the best and broadest direction. He has 
been teaching .school for .several years, and for ten 
terms was engaged in his own district. 

Mr. Eshenour was born in the town of Fayette 
Jul}' 23, 1863, and his parents were William and 
Sarah (Romig) Eshenour, well-to-do residents of 
this locality. Sidne)^ passed his boyhood days 
on the home place and attended the country 
schools until a lad of some fourteen vears. At 



458 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



that time he had completed the course of study 
taught in his district, and, his parents being de- 
sirous of giving him a good education, he was 
sent to Geneva, spending four years in the high 
school of that village. During this time he trav- 
eled back and forth from his home each day, 
sometimes on horseback, but when it was not 
convenient for him to use the horse he walked. 
After completing the course there he engaged 
in teaching, following this occupation solely for 
two years. His father then wished him to in- 
terest himself in farm work, and for the following 
three years he worked the home place on shares. 

March i6, 1887, Mr. Eshenour married Miss 
Edith Adair, of the town of Varick, this county. 
About one year later, however, she died, leaving 
a son, Robin A., who was born April 22, 1888. 
Our subject farmed for a short time after this sad 
event and then engaged in tb.e grocery business 
in Waterloo, but after a few months found out 
that he could not make this venture pay as he 
wished. As .soon as a good offer was made 
him he accepted it and returned to farm work. 
This was in 1891, and ever since that time he has 
carried on his farm and taught .school in the win- 
ter months. 

December 26, 1893, Mr. Eshenour was mar- 
ried to Miss Cora DeYoe, of Waterloo, where 
her birth occurred February 11, 1865. She is 
the daughter of Gradus and Catherine (Byram) 
DeVoe, and for several years before her marriage 
was a successful teacher. She was graduated 
from the high scliool at Waterloo, and when 
ready to teach found no difficulty in .securing a 
position. She has taught in both the district 
and graded .schools of Union Springs, and also 
held a good position at Geneva. Her father was 
born near Albany, this state, March 15, 1817, 
while her mother was a native of New York City, 
her birth occurring August 11, 1824. 

Mr. E.shenour takes a decided interest in pol- 
itical matters, and cast his first Presidential vote 
for Blaine, in 188S. He has never desired office, 
as his time has been too fully occupied to permit 
of his engaging in any public work. In religious 
affairs he is a member of the Pre.s1)yterian Cluirch 
of Waterloo, with which his good wife is also 



connected. In this congregation he fills the of- 
fice of Deacon, and is highly regarded by its var- 
ious members for his upright and honorable 
course in life. 



LIVER BURROUGHS. This much res- 
pected citizen of the town of Seneca Falls 
makes his home near the banks of Cayuga 
Lake. He is engaged as a mechanic, and so well 
does he perform ever}- obligation entrusted to him, 
that he is kept constantly busy, and is patronized 
by the best people of the community. 

Mr. Burroughs is a native of this state, having 
been born in Livingston County, January 2, 1843. 
His parents were Carlton and Mary E. (Jacoby ) 
Burroughs, who came to this section about ten 
years after the birth of their son Oliver. After 
coming here, the father, who was a farmer by oc- 
cupation, purchased one hundred acres of land in 
the town of vSeneca Falls, on which he expended 
much time and lalwr. He is still living, and is 
now about .seventy-nine years of age. His good 
wife, who was born in 18 16, died in March, 1892. 

Up to the time of starting out for himself, 
our subject had nbtained a good education and 
was well fitted to battle successfully with the 
many ob.stacles which be.set his path. He was 
married, in December, 1864, to Miss Mary E. 
Larzelere. The latter, who was born in this 
town, is a daughter of Harvey and Mahala (Slaw- 
son) Larzelere, and is an intelligent and highl\- 
respected lady. 

Mr. Burroughs worked his father's farm on 
shares until 1873, and on abandoning this occu- 
pation followed fishing for .some ten or twelve 
years. This business pro\ed a very paying one, 
and during that time he saved quite a siuig little 
.sum of money. About this time he was engaged 
to work in the carpenter department of the Amer- 
ican Steam Fire Engine Company, of Seneca 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



459 



Falls, remaining in the company's employ for 
three years. In the year 1873 he bought his 
present place, on which he has lived ever since. 

Our subject has a son, Clarence L. , who is fire- 
man on one of the engines on the New York 
Central Road. He is married and makes his 
home in the town of Seneca Falls. In politics 
Mr. Burroughs is a Republican, with Prohibition 
tendencies. He holds membership with the 
Presbyterian Church of Cayuga, and in order to 
attend services makes the trip in a canoe down the 
lake. He is quite an extensive apiarist, and for 
the past twenty years has given considerable at- 
tention to the culture of bees, having about twen- 
ty hives on his place. 



IOATHAX SAEGER for many years was a 
I / successful and prominent tiller of the soil, 
I [^ but is now retired from the active duties of 
life, and is in the enjoyment of a competency 
which his excellent business qualities and good 
judgment have won him. He was born in the 
town of Fayette, Seneca County, January 23, 
1817, on a place within three miles of his present 
residence. 

Our subject was the son of Daniel and Barbara 
(Miller) Saeger, both natives of Lehigh County, 
Pa., where they were reared and married, and 
where their eldest son, Reuben, was born. In 
1815, when he was an infant of six months, they 
came to this county with a team, and immedi- 
ately decided on the location where Nathan was 
born. The journey hither consumed fourteen 
days, the party camping at night by the way.side. 
It was a very tedious trip, and when any member 
got tired riding he would disTuonnt and walk a 
part of the way. 

Prior to coming to this county Daniel Saeger 
had been a distiller, and had also worked for 
.some time at the tanner's trade. When taking 



up his abode in this section he possessed sufficient 
means to purchase fifty acres of fine land, for 
which he paid the sum of $1,100. In the years 
which followed this particular piece of property 
deteriorated in value, so that he could hardh- 
have given it awaj- had he been disposed to 
do so. Mr. Saeger prospered in his undertak- 
ings, however, and at the time of his decea.se was 
the owner of a valuable estate, comprising ninety 
acres of excellently tilled land. 

The parental household numbered .seven chil- 
dren, all of whom grew to mature years, with one 
exception, and five became the heads of families. 
Reuben died about 1887. In politics the father 
of our .subject was a Whig, and in religious 
matters was a consistent member of the German 
Reformed Church. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood on 
the old home farm, and acquired a good educa- 
tion in the schools conducted in the di.strict. 
On attaining his nineteenth year he began to 
do for himself, working out on neighboring farms, 
and receiving as compensation for his labors 
$12.50 per month during the busy season. In 
this waj' he .saved $50, which, with a friend, he 
invested in a threshing-machine in 1837, gi'^'ing 
his note for the balance. As his was about the 
only machine of the kind in the community, it 
was kept busy almost all winter, and in this man- 
ner he got a start in life. He was also very suc- 
cessful in working farms on shares, or in "crop- 
ping, "as it was then called, and by the time he 
was twenty-three or twenty-four years of age he 
possessed a snug little sum of money. About 
that time he entered into partnership with a 
brother, and together they purcha.sed eight\-- 
seven acres of farming land, located near where 
he now resides. 

In 1 841 Nathan Saeger and Miss Christiana 
Manger were united in marriage in Fayette, 
where Mrs. Saeger was born about 1820. By 
her union with om^ subject .she l)ecame the mother 
of three children, two of whom lived to have 
families of their own. Henry D., at his decease, 
left three children, and Benjamin F. was the 
father of two children at the time of his death. 
The wife and mother departed this life in August, 



460 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



-*->^' 



N-* 



■*-H 



^-^J^^ 



■r4r-*- 



1884, greatly mmirnefl by a large circle of rela- 
tives and friends. Our subject has five grand- 
children and three great-grandchildren. 

Mr. Saeger is one of the largest land-holders 
in the county, counting among his possessions 
two hundred and sixty acres of tillable land in a 
high state of cultivation. He is a man of decided 
views regarding most of the things of life, and in 
his political affiliations he is a Republican, and 
ready to do anything for the support of his party. 
His first ballot was cast for William Henry Har- 
rison, and in 1856 he voted for John C. Fremont. 
He is verj- popular in his community, which fact 
the reader can appreciate when we state that he 
held the office of Assessor for three years, in a 
strong Democratic town. He is a regular attend- 
ant at the services of the First Presbyterian 
Church. 



I ORREN THOMAS. It is an undeniable 
I C truth that the life of any man is of great 
I J benefit to the community in which he resides, 
when all his efforts are directed toward advanc- 
ing its interests, and when he lives according to 
the highest principles of what he conceives to be 
right. Such a man is Lorren Thomas, who is a 
self-made, prosperous and leading citizen of 
Waterloo. He is the owner of the Thomas Stone 
(Juarry, and is well known to the people of Sene- 
ca County, as well as the surrounding counties. 
The farm of which he is the [josse.ssor compri.ses 
sixty-two and a-half acres, and is located one 
mile from the Waterloo postoffice. 

The subject of this sketch was born in the 
town of Fayette, this county, December 12, 1843, 
his parents being Samuel and Margaret (Bosser- 
man) Thomas, the former of whom was born at 
Williamsport, Pa., in the year 1802. He was a 
lad of ten vears when his father, who bore the 



name of George Thomas, came to this county 
and purchased a large tract of land, comprising 
some six hundred acres, near what is now the 
cit\' of Waterloo. As might be expected, the 
region rdund about was verj- sparsely settled, 
and, as the newcomers had no stopping-place, 
they a.sked permission of one of the earlier set- 
tlers to put their horses in his stable, but were 
informed that this privilege was not for poor folk. 
Thus they were obliged to pass another night 
under the skies, but the following day the grand- 
father, with the aid of his sons, erected a rude 
.structure which was used for a stable. The most 
interesting part of this story is, that the property 
which was then held by their unobliging neigh- 
bor is now in the possession of the grandchildren 
of him whom he refused to accommodate, while 
on the other hand his descendants are the ones 
who can now be spoken of as the "poor folk." 

In the year of 1812 the grandfather of our 
subject rode to Albanj- on horseback and there 
entered six hundred acres of land from the Gov- 
ernment, for which he paid $1.25 per acre. In 
after years he became well-to-do, and was known 
as one of the most influential of Seneca County's 
residents. He died about 1851, and left at his 
death three sons, Michael, James and Samuel, 
between whom the property %vas divided. These 
sons, although given very limited educations, 
were good business men, and followed farming 
the greater part of their lives. The father of 
our subject, however, later engaged in the dis- 
tilling business, being thus occupied until 1864, 
when he retired from the indu.stry worth $125,- 
000. His next venture was in oil speculation, in 
which he met with both successes and reverses. 
Later he became interested in a foundry and ma- 
chine-shop, and until 1880 gave this business his 
chief attention. The building which was then 
used for this purpose is now occupied by a firm 
who manufacture organs. Samuel Thomas died 
April 27, 1883, aged eighty-one years, and in his 
death the county lost one of its best citizens. 
Although an enthusiastic Republican in politics, 
he was in no sense of the term an office-seeker, 
as his extensive business interests engaged his 
entire attention. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



461 



The parental family included eight children, of 
whom the eldest, Mahlon B., a farmer and grain 
dealer at McCords, Kent County, Mich., married 
Jennie Thomns, wlio, although bearing the same 
name, is not a relative; they have two children. 
Caroline became the wife of Rev. Jonathan 
Thomas, also a farmer of Kent County, Mich. ; 
two of their. sons are living in Washington State, 
where they have a stock ranch. Levi is engaged 
in teaming in Rochester, N. Y., and is the father 
of two children. Emma married Levi Bachman, 
and also makes her home in the above city. 
Harrison was in the Sixteenth Heavy Artillery 
during the war, serving from 1863 until theclo.se 
of hostilities. Samuel is a motorman engaged 
on the electric line running between Geneva and 
Seneca Falls. All of the sons are Republicans in 
politics, and are progressive citizens, of whom 
an\' community might well be proud. 

Lorren, of this history, \vas given a fair edu- 
cation, attending the .schools during the win- 
ter months of each year, and in the summer 
.season occupied his time in farm work. He was 
in his nineteenth year when, August 19, 1862, 
he enlisted in the Union army as a member of 
Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth 
New York Infantry. He was pre.sent during 
many hard fought engagements, and witnessed 
the surrender at Harper's Ferr3\ vSoon after he 
was sent to the parole camp at Chicago, where 
he remained on duty until, with several of his 
comrades, he was given a leave of absence and 
returned home. Upon again joining his regi- 
ment he was on duty at Alexandria, Va., whence 
he went with his regiment to Gettysburg, where 
he was soon after detailed to drive a team for one 
of the surgeons and assist in the work around 
the tent for .sick and wounded. He was thus 
subjected to as nuich danger as though he were 
on the field f)f battle, and, indeed, the position 
was a nuich harder one to fill. He remained 
there until the clo.se of the war, when he was 
honorably discharged, in 1865, and returned 
home after having participated in tlie Grand 
Re\'iew at Washington. Again settling down to 
the peaceful pursuits of life, he engaged in farm- 
ing, and in 1870 rented his father's stone- quarry 

'9 



and began its operation. He has followed this 
business ever since, although he afterward be- 
came the owner of a quarr\-. 

When ready to establish a home of his own, 
Mr. Thomas was married, January i, 1877, to 
Miss Alice Babcock, a mo.st intelligent and worthy 
lady, who was born in Barrington, Yates County, 
Maj- 31, 1853. She departed this life in March, 
1890, greatly mourned by a large circle of rela- 
tives and friends. Besides the farm which we 
have already mentioned, our subject is the pos- 
sessor of a farm of ninety-one acres, likewise 
located near Waterloo, and both tracts are under 
admirable tillage. 



*^< 




j EVI VAN BUSKIRK. This is in brief the 
IjL sketch of a man whose present substantial 
L/ position in life has been reached through his 
own perseverance. He is now one of the well-to- 
do farmers and fruit-growlers of the town of Tyre, 
Seneca County, and his business and social quali- 
ties are well known and a])preciated in this lo- 
cality. 

Mr. \'an Bnskirk was born in llie abo\-e tcnvn 
March 21, 1842, and is the son of Peter and 
Rosetta (Cuddeback) \'an Buskirk. His paternal 
grandfather, who bore the name of Thomas, was 
de.scended from one of the old families of New 
Jersey, but at the time of the birth of his .son 
Peter was living in New York City, being there 
engaged in dealing in horses. Later he removed 
with his family to Ontario County, where he be- 
came interested in farming to some extent, al- 
though the greater portion of his time was de- 
voted to the raising of a fine grade of stock. In 
18^9, during the gold excitement in California, 
he went thither b>- way of the Isthmus and re- 
mained several years. He made two visits to 
that state, and was fairly .successful in his ven- 



462 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



tures each time. On his return he removed to 
the town of Tyre, Seneca Countj', where his de- 
cease occurred in 187 1, when seventj--seven j-ears 
old. His remains were placed in the cenieter}' at 
Hopewell, Ontario Count}-, where his wife was 
also buried. In early days he was a Whig, but 
after the formation of the Republican party never 
failed to vote for its candidates, and was a strong 
anti-slavery man. When a boy, his father, the 
great-grandfather of our subject, took charge of 
the horse of General Washington, during the 
w'inter which the army spent in New Jersey. 
The following spring he ran away from home, 
and for several years thereafter served as a soldier 
in the Continental army. 

Peter Van Buskirk was born June 12, 18 14, in 
the metropolis. He was there reared to mature 
years, after which he came to the town of Tyre 
and followed the trade of a coo"per, which he had 
previously learned. Later he abandoned this busi- 
ness and engaged in farming, owning the ninety- 
seven acres of land on which his son, our subject, 
now resides. He married Miss Rosetta Cudde- 
back, and to them were born three children, of 
whom Levi was the eldest. Thomas is married 
and resides in Tyre, while Sallie is an inmate of 
the household of our subject. Peter \'an Bus- 
kirk was a prominent Democrat in politics, and 
was the incumbent of many offices of trust and 
responsibility, being for many years Town Clerk 
and Collector. He was influential in the ranks 
of his party, and often represented it as a delegate 
to the various conventions. Religiously he was a 
member of the Christian Church, in the faith of 
which he died April 30, 1891. His good wife 
preceded him to the land beyond, dying Jaiuiary 
31, 1883. They were both interred in Tyre 
Cemetery. 

The subject of this sketch was given a good 
education, and when twenty-one years of age was 
engaged to teach two terms of .school. When a 
lad of thirteen years his left limb became affected, 
and for eleven years he suffered with this mis- 
fortune. The next year his father gave him his 
time, so that on attaining his majority he pos- 
sessed quite a little sum of money. He continued 
to reside at home, however, until forty-one years 



of age, when he established a home of his 
own, and was married, November 7, 1883, to 
Miss Catherine Alma Xearpass, of Tyre. She 
was born in this section in 1857, and was the 
daughter of Samuel and Emma (Golden) Near- 
pass. 

Mr. Van Buskirk is a Democrat in politics, and 
in 1869 voted for MacClellan. Five years prior to 
this time he had been elected Clerk of his town, 
holding the office for three years. He was after- 
ward made Town Auditor, and also served as In- 
spector of Elections. In 1871 he was elected 
Supervisor of the town of Tyre, and from 1886 
to 1889 was the incumbent of the same office. 
He has always taken a very active part in local 
affairs, and as one of the influential men of his 
party in this locality has been a reprcsentaiive to 
the count\' and senatorial conventions. 






0ANIEL W. HOSTER. Seneca County is 
a very prosperous farming community, and 
none among its enterprising and energetic 
agriculturists deserves more prominent mention 
in a work of this kind than does Mr. Hoster, who 
was born here, on tlie farm where he now resides, 
May 5, 1854. This property is located in the 
town of Fayette and is under advanced cultivation. 
The parents of our subject were William and 
Elizabeth (Sheridan) Hoster, natives, respective- 
ly, of tlie towns of Fayette and Seneca Falls. 
The former, who was born about 1833, died May 
II, 1874, and Mrs. Ho.ster, whose birth occurred 
in 183 1, is still living. Grandfather John Hoster 
died when his son William was about three 
years of age, and the latter was reared to man- 
hood by his wise and excellent motlier. For a 
time he attended school in Seneca Falls. One 
year prior to becoming of age, he purchased the 
estate of one hundred and forty acres of which 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



463 



our subject is now the owner, and on which have 
been placed good iniprovenienls. William Hos- 
ter was a good and useful citizen, and the county 
owes its prosperity to just such men as he proved 
to be. Politically the tenets of the Republican 
party appealed to his sense of justice and equity. 
Though in no sense of the word an office-seeker, 
he was always ready in the support of his party. 
He was drafted into the Union .service during the 
war, but, not being able to enlist, hired a substi- 
tute. Socially he was a prominent Mason, taking 
the thirty-second degree before his death. 

Our subject has one brother, younger than 
him.self, George E., whose home is in Chicago, 
and who is also a thirty-second-degree Mason. 

The early life of our subject was passed in the 
countrj-, where he gained a good education in the 
schools of the district. His father died when he 
was twenty years of age, and, being the elder son, 
he was made the executor of the estate. To the 
original tract he added one hundred acres in 1890, 
and now has one of the most productive estates 
in the county. 

Our subject is surrounded with peace and plenty, 
is a liberal contributor to all worthy enterpri.ses, 
and is therefore classed among the most respec- 
ted and influential citizens of the comnuinity. 
He advocates the principles of the Republican 
party, and ca.st his first Presidential vote in 1876, 
for R. B. Have.s. 




<ySAAC W. FERO is a pioneer of Schuyler 
I County and is one of its leading citizens. He 
Ji was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., Au- 
gust 28, 1817, and is a son of Cornelius and Alida 
(Vandevere) Fero, the former a native of Water- 
vleit, Rensselaer County, and the latter of Mont- 
gomery County. Peter Fero, the grandfather of 
our subject, was also a native of New York .State. 
The father was born September 14, 1789, grew 
to manhood in his native comity, and later re- 



moved to Montgomery County, where he formed 
the acquaintance of Alida Vandevere. She was 
born July 29, 1789, and was a daughter of Gar- 
ritt and Rachael (Connover) Vandevere. Her 
nephew. Dr. Albert Vandevere, of Albany, is one 
of the most noted physicians of this state. 

In March, 1827, Cornelius Fero moved with his 
family to Schuyler County and located in what 
is now the town of Orange, one and a-half miles 
we.st of the present village of Beaver Dams. At 
that time this county was part of Steuben Coun- 
ty, and the whole country in this vicinity was a 
vast wilderness, not a tree having been cleared 
from the land on which he located. Here he built 
a log house in the woods and conmienced to clear 
his farm. At this time our subject was about ten 
years of age, and, notwithstanding his youth, it 
was his lot to assist his father in clearing the land 
and paying for the farm. When he arrived 
here his father had but $71, which he retained 
for future use, purchasing the farm on time and 
paying for it as he could. He made a succe.ss in 
life and acquired a good propert\-. His cliaracter 
was spotless and he enjoyed the esteem of all. 
Both parents died on the old homestead, the fa- 
ther October 3, 1861, and the mother March 31, 
1869, and their remains were interred in the fam- 
ily cemetery on the farm. In politics Cornelius 
Fero was a Jacksonian Democrat. 

A boy of but ten years when the family ar- 
rived here, and there being but one family in the 
vicinity, it may well be understood that our sub- 
ject's lot was a hard one Until about seventeen 
he attended two sunmier and the winter terms of 
school, the district .school being between one and 
two miles from his home. He toiled early and 
late with his father, and remained under the pa- 
rental roof until after attaining his majority, so 
that he might assist his father in clearing the 
farm, not only of the heavy growth of timber, 
but of all incumbrances. 

On the oth of January, 1842, Mr. p-ero was 
iniited in marriage with Mi.ss Tryphena Knowl 
ton, a daughter of Chester Kno.vlton, of Steuben 
County, who, like the father of our subject, lo- 
cated in the wilderness in an earl\- day. By this 
union there were three children. Alida h. mar- 



464 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ried James Moore, who died in November, 1890, 
leaving her with a familj' of seven children, three 
of whom still reside with heron a farm near Bea- 
ver Dams, Esther S. married Milton Olmsted, 
and lives in Steuben County, where her husband 
is engaged in farming; she is the mother of two 
children. Robia married William F. Hall, and 
the family resides on a farm adjoining the village 
of Beaver Dams. 

After his marriage Mr. Fero removed with his 
young wife to his father's house, and there re- 
mained three years, when he built a new 
house on a part of the old farm, which was their 
home for a number of years. During this time 
he took charge of the home place, and in the 
mean time was saving his earnings, with which 
he purchased a farm of one hundred acres in the 
same town. At his father's death he inherited 
the home place, to which he then moved, living 
with his mother until 1888. The wife of our 
subject, who died June 17, 1S83, was a woman 
greatly loved, and her death was mourned by a 
large circle of friends and acquaintances. On the 
8th of February, 1888, ISIr. Fero married Mrs. 
Rhoda (Weller) Phelps, widow of Wallace 
Phelps, who was accidentally killed at the rail- 
road crossing near Beaver Dams in 1879. Her 
father was an early settler in the town of \'eteran, 
Chemung County. Mrs. Fero had two narrow 
escapes from death. When she was a babe six 
months old, as her parents were returning home 
from Havana, a storm came up, blowing a large 
tree down across the wagon and killing her moth- 
er. The latter, .seeing the tree falling, threw the 
child from her arms, thus saving her life. At the 
time of the accident in which her first husband was 
killed, the wagon was entirely demolished and 
she was thrown upon an embankment, breaking 
her collar bone. B}- her first husband Mrs. Fero 
had four children, two of whom were married at 
the time of their father's death, and two were at 
home. Celestia married Charles Stevens, and 
the family resides at Beaver Dams: Henry W., 
who married Parthena Rood, is a farmer in the 
town of Dix; Asa C. married Catharine Caslin, 
and resides in Hector; Nettie married Charles 
Sayler, but is now deceased. 



Since his last marriage our subject has made 
his home in the village of Beaver Dams, where 
his wife had been living. While now living in 
retirement, he can look back to a life well spent. 
When he first came to the county there were few 
roads laid out, and where the village now stands 
the ground was all covered with timber. He 
saw the first burial in the Beaver Dams Cemetery, 
that of Miss Eunice Wheeler, a daughter of Will- 
iam Wheeler, who was for many years a Class- 
leader in the old building which until recently 
was used for the Methodist Episcopal parsonage, 
and which was the first frame dwelling erected 
in the village. The cemetery was on a hemlock 
knoll, in the midst of brush and tangles. For a 
time he attended one of the first schoolhouses 
erected in the town of Orange. It was built of 
hewn chestnut logs, and in that early day it was 
considered a fine building. 

In the pioneer days Mr. Fero was appointed 
Orderly Sergeant of a company of militia, and was 
afterward commissioned Ensign. Later he was 
commissioned Captain in the company, which of- 
fice he retained for years, or until the militia was 
disbanded. He still has in his po.ssession his old 
commission. Until recently he has taken an ac- 
tive interest in the affairs of life, and has indeed 
been successful. In politics he was for years a 
Democrat, but lately has voted with the Prohibi- 
tion party, believing it his duty to do all in his 
power to de.stro)- the liquor traffic. While he has 
often been requested to accept local office, he 
has invariably declined, as he felt that he had 
no time to devote to politics, although he served 
twelve years as Assessor of the town of Orange. 

Mr. Fero has been very methodical and sy.ste- 
matic in his business transactions, and for over 
thirty years has kept a diary and an exact ac- 
count of all receipts and expen.ses. He has al- 
ways taken an niterest in church affairs, though 
never connected with any denomination by mem- 
bership. His first wife was a member of the 
Presbyterian Church, and his present wife of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. No appeal for 
church funds has ever been made to him in vain. 
He gave the Methodist F^piscopal Church a hand- 
some Bible after the first one had been worn out. 



m 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



465 



and when the church was repaired he donated one 
window. He was on the committee to repair 
the cliurch, as well as on one for the building 
of the parsonage. For ten years he has been a 
Director of the Fanners' Reliance Fire Insurance 
Compan\-, acting as its local agent. He still 
owns one hundred acres of land, the greater part 
of which is under cultivation. He ha.^ lived to 
see his children all comfortably situated in life, 
and has given each of them a good common- 
school education. 



(©L .^mmh. 



'^ 



(3 GJ ALTER THORP. The gentleman whose 

\ A / life history it is our pleasure to relate has 
Y V passed from the scenes of earth, but his 
memory is dear to his surviving friends, and a 
record of the prominent residents of Seneca Coun- 
ty would be incomplete without this notice of his 
life. 

Like many of the best citizens of this section, 
he is of foreign birth, his home having been 
Holmforth, Yorkshire, England, where his birth 
occurred April 25, 1842. His parents were Jon- 
athan and Esther (Brook) Thorp, also natives of 
the British Isle. The father was an extensive 
manufacturer of woolen goods, and when Walter 
was old enough he was .sent to Ireland and Scot- 
land as representative of the firm. He thus took 
advantage of the opportunities granted him for 
acquainting himself with the language of these 
countries and at the same time very materially 
eiilarged the business of the company. 

When about twenty-one years of age our sub- 
ject came to America on a vi.sit, but was so well 
pleased with the country and the prospects which 
it had in store for a wideawake and ambitious 
young man that he concluded to make it his fu- 
ture home. Before settling down he visited thir- 
teen different states, and al.so took a course in 



the business college at Cincinnati. He then be- 
came connected with the large woolen-mill at 
Munnsville, N. Y., and after severing his interest 
with that concern, was employed by other large 
firms of the state at different times. In 1867 or '68 
he came to Seneca Falls and was engaged as 
shipping clerk in the mills here. During this 
time he became acquainted with Miss Harriet 
Jane Cross, to whom he was married December 
23, 1868. She was born in the town of Tyre, 
July [, 1842, and was the daughter of William 
H. and Lucy A. (Boardman) Cross. Her fa- 
ther was a well-to-do resident of this place and 
followed farming the greater portion of his life. 
In 1872 Mr. Thorp moved to Cornwall on the 
Hudson, Init, his wife failing in health, he returned 
to Seneca Falls and continued to live here initil 
removing to the farm now occupied by the fam- 
ily. There he purchased one hundred acres, be- 
sides a tract of thirty acres, which is within the 
corporate limits of Seneca Falls. On the former 
place he established a dairy business, daily dis- 
posing of the milk from thirty cows. The place 
is known as "Fairview." 

To our subject and his estimable wife there 
were granted three sons. Jonathan Walter, born 
in .Seneca Falls, October 26, 1869, is well edu- 
cated and is now manager of the home place; 
George Brook, born in Cornwall on the Hudson, 
August 9, 1872, is at home, as is also Josiah Al- 
bert, born in Seneca Falls, December 14, 1876. 

Mr. Thorp took out his naturalization papers 
in due time after coming to America, and identi- 
fied himself with the Republican party in politics. 
He was an active worker in the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, in which he filled the official posi- 
tion of Steward. His wife was greatly interested 
in Sunday-school work, and together they had 
charge of the infant department. His death, 
which occurred April 28, 1889, was the occasion 
of universal mourning, and in him the commu- 
nity lost one of its best citizens. 

The father of Mrs. Thorp, William H. Cro.ss, 
was born in Greene County, N. Y., October 28, 
1809, and his wife, Lucy A. Boardman, was born 
in Seneca Falls, April 21, 18 18. They were 
married December 23, 1833. In early life Mr. 



466 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Cross learned the carpenter's trade, but followed 
it oul\- a few jears, when he abandoned it in or- 
der to give his attention to fanning. He lived 
for a time in the town of Tyre, where Mrs. Thoi p 
was born, but took possession of the estate which 
the latter now owns when .she was a little girl of 
five years. This tract he rented a few years of 
Denning Boardman, the grandfather of Mrs. 
Thorp, but afterward purchased seventy-five 
acres in the town of Seneca Falls, and later be- 
came the possessor of a good farm in Fayette. 
Some time thereafter he di.sposed of the farm in 
Fayette and traded the property- in Seneca Falls 
for the place where Mrs. Thorp now lives. Mr. 
Cross was a Republican in politics, voting that 
ticket from the organization of the party until 
his death, in April, 1886. His good wife had 
preceded him to the land beyond, dying in 1878. 
Mr. Cross and five sons fought in the Civil War, 
in which conflict three of the sons lost their lives 
and were buried on Southern soil. The father 
became a member of the Grand Anny of the Re- 
public, belonging to Cross Post in Seneca Falls, 
which was named in his honor. Mrs. Thorp is 
connected with the Woman's Relief Corps and 
was sent as a delegate to the state convention at 
Saratoga. While there she visited Mt. McGreg- 
or and saw the house where General Grant spent 
his last days. She is also a member of the Na- 
tional Grange. 



->-»-► 



^M 



•-« — ^- 



->-->-•- 



^"t— ^- 



QROF. EDGAR ALFRED EMENS, of the 
Lr chair of Greek language and literature in 
K-* Syracuse University, was born on a farm in 
the town of \'arick, Seneca County, April 23, 
1862. His educational advantages were excep- 
tionally good. After having completed the 
studies of the district school, at the age of seven- 
teen he entered the Cazenovia Seminary, where 



he took a course of three years, graduating in 
1882. He then entered Wesleyan University, at 
Middletown, Conn., the institution of which the 
illustrious geologist. Professor Winchell, was also 
a graduate. Upon completing a four-years course 
he was graduated, in 1S86, with the degree of 
A. B. Three years later his Alma Mater con- 
ferred upon him the degree of A. M. He was 
graduated with honor, but received special honor 
in Latin. He was elected a member of the Phi 
Beta Kappa Societj-, an honor conferred upon a 
few of the best scholars of each class. 

His education completed. Professor Emens re- 
turned to his home in New York. Soon after- 
ward he began his career as a teacher, in which 
he has since met with unvarying success. For 
one year he taught in the public school at Eaton, 
Madison County, N. Y., and from there lie went 
to the Canandaigua Academy, where he held the 
chair of Latin and Greek for two years. From 
Canandaigua he was called to the Genesee Wes- 
leyan Seminary at Lima, N. Y., where he was 
Professor of Greek and Latin for two years. 
Lima was the original seat of what is now 
Syracuse University. After two years in the 
seminary, he became Adjunct Professor of Greek 
in Syracuse University, and one year later he 
was promoted to a full professorship, succeeding 
Dr. Coddington, of the chair of ethics. He has 
completed three years as professor in this institu- 
tion, in which he gives a thorough course in 
Greek to students of the upper classes. An as- 
sistant has charge of the Freshmen. 

In the summer of 1892, Professor Emens 
visited Europe, traveling in England, Scotland, 
France, Italy and Greece and giving especial at- 
tention to the language which he teaches in the 
university. In 1894 he taught the Greek and 
Latin classes in the summer school at Silver 
Lake, his work giving entire satisfaction to all 
interested parties. He has contributed papers on 
special subjects to various educational journals, 
and these have been received with favor by 
scholars in all parts of the countr\-. His reputa- 
tion as a Greek scholar is well known through- 
out the entire country, and at the time of accept- 
ing the professorship in the Syracuse University, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



467 



he had special calls to various western high- 
grade institutions. That his choice is a wise 
one has been attested by the high esteem in 
which lie is held by the faculty and students of 
the university, as well as by educational men 
throughout the East. In physique he is tall, 
and he is interested in athletics and all college 
sports. Though one of the youngest professors 
in the uni\ersity, he is conceded to be one of the 
most popular members of the faculty. In politics 
he is a Republican. 

Professor Eniens has recently been elected a 
member of the Hellenic Society, London; the 
Philhellenique Society, Amsterdam, and of the 
American Pliiloloa,ical Association. 



({-^^l^^-jj 



-ic->->-«I]ij(5r-^-*- 



yyiYRON J. VAN DUYNE, an enterprising 
Y and well known farmer of the town of Va- 
(g rick, Seneca County, is the proprietor of 
seventy-nine acres of valuable land, which he 
cultivates in a most thorough and intelligent 
manner. He is a native of this state, and was 
born May 24, 1859, in Cayuga County. His par- 
ents were William and Maria (\'anderbilt) Van 
Duyne, likewise born in the above county. There 
the father grew to mature years, and after pur- 
suing his studies for a number of years in the 
district schools, began learning the trade of a shoe- 
maker, which he followed until obtaining a start 
in life. The money which he thus saved he in- 
vested in one hundred and ten acres of land, 
which he later disposed of. He then passed the 
two succeeding years in the village of Auburn, 
and when ready to return once more to farm life 



became the proprietor of one hundred and two 
acres, on which the depot in \'arick is now lo- 
cated. 

Our subject's home was in Cavnga C(ninty un- 
til eighteen years of age, and in the mean time he 
attended the district schools, afterward taking a 
course in the connnercial college at Auburn. At 
the time of his father's removal to Seneca County 
he accompanied him hither, and worked the farm 
on .shares until attaining his twenty-fourth year. 

Mr. Van Duyne was married, April 10, 1883, 
to Miss Mary Van Sickle, of the town of Varick, 
whose birth occurred in Cayuga County. Her 
parents were Garret and Sarah Jane (Smith) Van 
Sickle, the former of whom was born in 1825 and 
departed this life in 1885. The parents of our 
subject were both members of the Presbyterian 
Church, and in politics the father was a stanch 
Democrat, although in no sense of the term an 
office-seeker. 

The parental family included four children, of 
whom Myron J. was the eldest but one. His 
sister Mary married George Selover, of Auburn, 
where he has charge of the Old Ladies' Home. 
They have one daughter, Grace. Augusta Van 
Duyne married Chailes Stengle, and they have 
two children. William is also married, and 
makes his home in Cayuga County, where he is 
a well-to-do farmer; he is the father of two chil- 
dren. 

On the death of his father our subject fell heir to 
$2,000 worth of property, which he afterward sold, 
investing the capital in the .seventy-nine acres 
which he still owns. On this place a comfortable 
dwelling was erected, it being very pleasantly sit- 
uated near Varick Station. Mr. Van Duyne is a 
very methodical agriculturist and an esteemed 
and respected citizen of Seneca County. He is 
Democratic in politics, casting his first Presiden- 
tial vote for Hancock in 1880. However, he is 
not strongly partisan, and in local affairs votes 
for the man whom he thinks will best discharge 
the duties of the office. In religious affairs he is 
a member of the Baptist Church at Geneva, while 
his estimable wife is an attendant nt the Presby- 
terian Church of West Fayette. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Van Du\'ne there has been 



468 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



granted a son, Harry, who was born in the town 
of Fayette: he resides with his parents and assists 
in the duties of the farm. In 1893 t>oth our sub- 
ject and his wife attended the World's Fair heki 
in Chicago, spending two weeks in that city. 



->-» ♦>*i®^^®<+C;«- — -«-"^- 



IILLIAM CRONK, of Havana, one of the 
prominent citizens of central New York, 
is widel>- known as the Superintendent of 
the Cronk Hanger Company. The company was 
incorporated in 1888, with a capital of $50,000, its 
officers being as follows; C. R. Pratt, a member 
ot the law firm of Pratt & Joery, of Elmira, 
President; C. F. Carrier, the inventor of Carri- 
er's double-braced steel rail and Carrier's anti- 
friction and barn-door hanger, and patent wire 
cutter and plier. Secretary and Treasurer; and 
William Cronk, Superintendent. The factory of 
the company is located at Havana, where a force 
of about sixty skilled workmen is employed. 

The Cronk family is of English extraction, 
and the first to come to America were three 
brothers, who located on Long Island. F'rom 
one of these sprang Arnold Cronk, the father of 
our subject, whose birth occurred in Westchester 
County, N. Y. When a lad of sixteen years he 
accompanied a brother three years older to Seneca 
Countv, the two making the journey on foot. 
The father was a man of great determination and 
force of character, and after coming to this part 
of the state worked for a time at whatever he 
could find to do, and finally .settled down to farm- 
ing, which vocation he followed through life. He 
lived for several years in Seneca, Schuyler and 
Chemung Counties, and at the time of his death 
was threescore years and ten. 

Arnold Cronk was one in a family of four sons 
and one daughter. He was married to Mi.ss 
Mary Howell, a native of New Jersey. She was 
of German extraction, and lived to be seventy - 



seven j-ears of age. Their union was blessed by 
the birth of eleven children, of whom Henry, 
Jonathan and Catherine, the latter now the widow 
of Roswell Wakely, live in Havana; Abbie is 
the wife of Orrin J. Stone, and resides in Elmira; 
John is a resident of Osborne, Kan.; William, of 
this sketch, was the seventh in order of birth; 
Nelson and Albert are residents of Havana; Marj', 
Mrs. Frank Smith, makes her home at Bing- 
hamton: and Warren is in business at Horse- 
heads. 

The subject of this sketch was born in the town 



of Dix, in this county, May 30, 18^ 



He was 



there reared to the life of a farmer, in the mean 
time pursuing his studies closely in the common 
schools. On attaining his eighteenth year he 
was apprenticed to learn the carpenter's trade, at 
whicli he worked for a period often years. About 
that time he abandoned the vocation and engaged 
in the hardware business, conducting a paying 
enterprise for fourteen years. 

Mr. Cronk is a natural machinist, and in 1885, 
in a small waj-, began the manufacture of the 
Cronk barn-door hanger, of which he was the 
inventor. The business grew to such proportions 
that the present company was incorporated in 
1 888 He has full charge of the mechanical 
work, and designs and manfactures all the ma- 
chinery u.sed in turning out his numerous inven- 
tions. In all his undertakings it has been his 
ambition to excel, and he devoted himself with 
ardor to the production of a class of specialties 
which would not onl)- vie in excellence and 
utility with both domestic and imported wares, 
but when once introduced and tested would be 
preferred by the dealer and consumer alike over all 
other similar productions. That he has succeeded 
in this laudable endeavor, there is no longer any 
doubt, as the superiority attained in the manu- 
facture of his inventions is such as to have cre- 
ated a permanent and constantly increasing de- 
mand from all partsof the country. Paying close 
and undivided attention to the excellence of their 
productions rather than to the amount of sales or 
monetary returns, the company's trade has stead- 
ily grown from year to year, until they have 
reached a high mark in their industrv, of which 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



469 



they have every reason to be proud. Their re- 
sources are ample, their facilities for rapid and 
perfect productions are complete and comprehen- 
sive, and the quality of their goods can tje implic- 
itly relied upon. 

The Cronk Manufacturing Compan>- have re- 
cently made an addition to their factory, and now 
have a large cutlery department, known as the 
Carrier Cutlery Company, from which is turned 
out an extra quality of pocket-knives. They 
also handle the new Cronk griddle, which is so 
devised that the heat is equally distributed over 
the entire upper surface, and very desirable re- 
sults are obtained in cake-baking. One of their 
best selling articles is the sliding-door latch, with 
attachment for lock; also the Queen City six- 
bladed chopping knife, which is made so strong 
and durable as to give satisfaction in every re- 
spect. The company have for sale the patent 
expansive rubber valve for chain pumps, which 
was patented in 1886, and of which a great, num- 
ber have been sold. 

During the hard times which succeeded the 
World's Fair, the Cronk Manufacturing Company 
continued to run a full force, and even then were 
not able to fill all their orders promptly. They 
pay cash for all their materials, and in this way 
get a discount, v^-hich, though small, amounts in 
the aggregate to a handsome sum annually. 

Cronk' s anti-friction and steel barn-door hanger 
is made from heavy steel, and is so arranged that 
it will carry the door with perfect ease. The 
double braced steel rail is braced so that it will 
not sag, and is by far the best and strongest rail 
in the market. The adjustable .stay roller is 
made with wrought-steel straps and a cast block, 
with a slot in it so that it can be easily adjusted. 
Cronk's inside adjustable stay is simple and dura- 
ble, and is much better than a cleat nailed on the 
floor, for it avoids all friction and leaves no place 
for the dirt to accumulate. The garden rake and 
garden mattock are both articles of superior 
make and find ready markets. The company 
manufacture Cronk's combination cutting and 
gas pliers, pruning shears, hedge .shears and wire 
cutter and bender. 

William Cronk was married, in i860, to Mi.ss 



Mary E. Brink, a native of Schuyler County, and 
the daughter of Samuel Brink, a prominent resi- 
dent of this section. To them have been born 
three children, namely: Elmer L., Edna G. and 
Grace \'. Mr. Cronk is a Republican in politics, 
and although never an office-seeker, has been an 
official member of the School Board for the past 
.seventeen years, serving two years of that time as 
President. He has represented his fellow-towns- 
men as Trustee of the Village Board for ten years, 
and is now President of the Board. In religious 
affairs he is one of the valued members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church , and has been Presi- 
dent of the Board of Trustees of his congrega- 
tion. Too much can not be said in praise of the 
interest he has taken in the growth and develop- 
ment of the industrial portion of Havana, as dur- 
ing his entire life here he has taken an active 
part in all its progressive measures. 



— ■^<,>_ ^ ^c"S* 



IILLIAM A. STEVENSON is well known 
in this locality, where he has a host of 
friends whose confidence and esteem are his 
highest eulogium. He is a well-to-do farmer of 
the town of T\re, Seneca County, devoting his 
time and energies to cultivating the soil and rais- 
ing Jersey cattle and Shropshire sheep, with 
which animals his place is well .stocked. 

Mr. Stevenson w'as born in this town, Novem- 
ber 25, 1831 ; his father was born across the seas, 
in County Down, Ireland, in 1796, while his 
mother, formerly Polly Winans, was a native of 
the town of T\re, this count\-. The paternal 
grandfather of William A. came to America when 
his son was in his fourth year. He was com- 
pelled to flee from his native land on accoinit of 
having taken part in the Irish resistance to Eng- 
lish rule. His life was in great danger while he 
remained there, and six months before he could 



470 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



effect his escape his hiding place was not known. 
He thus came here a poor man, accompanied by 
his wife and two children. He at first located in 
Schoharie County, N. Y., but only remained 
there a short time, when he worked his way fur- 
ther West, and, arriving in the town of Junius, 
this county, determined to make this locality his 
future home. He accordingly settled upon eighty 
acres of land, which now belong to his son, 
James F. Stevenson. This was some time be- 
tween the years 1812 and 18 17. The grandfather 
was successful in nearly all his ventures after 
coming to America, but never returned to his na- 
tive land, living and dying in his adopted country. 

The parents of Polly Stevenson came from New 
Jersey, and also spent their remaining years in 
Seneca County. The father of our subject was 
a young man when he came to this locality, and 
his older brother fought as a soldier in the War 
of 1812. 

The father of our subject married Miss Winans 
in this count}', and became well-to-do in this 
world's goods. He was a Democrat in politics, 
on which trcket he was elected Road Commis- 
sioner and Assessor. His death occurred July 2, 
1871, while his wife lived for several years. They 
were buried side by side in the Maple Grove 
Cemetery at Waterloo. 

The parental family included five children, of 
whom William A. was the eldest but one. They 
are all living and reside in this community. Our 
.subject staid at home until twenty-one years of 
age, in the mean time attending the schools taught 
in the district. Pie then entered the state normal 
and carried on his studies for a year and a-half. 
After passing the required examination he was 
given a state certificate to teach. This vocation 
he followed for several years during the winter 
season, and farmed during the summer months. 

In 1871 Mr. Stevenson bought one hundred 
and six acres of land, which is included in his 
home farm, and to this amount he later added 
ninety acres. The place has been greatly im- 
proved since it came into his possession, and is 
now adorned with first-class buildings of every 
description. His barn was destroyed by fire in 
1876, but he lost no time in replacing it. He 



follows in the footsteps of his honored father and 
votes the Democratic ticket. His first Presiden- 
tial vote was cast in 1852, when Pierce was 
elected. The duties of Assessor, Justice of the 
Peace and Supervisor he has discharged in a 
very competent manner, and he is qualified to fill 
almost any position. He resigned the second- 
named office shortly after his installation, as he 
did not like it. In 1879 he was chosen vSuper- 
visor, was re-elected in 1891, and is the present 
incumbent of the office, having been made his 
own successor since that time. He belongs to the 
Grange, and is associated with Pocahontas Lodge 
No. 211, ¥. & A. M., at Seneca Falls. 

Our subject was married, when twenty-three or 
four years of age, to Mi.ss Maria Southwick, of 
the town of Tyre. She was the daughter of 
David and Aurelia Southwick, and by her union 
with Mr. Stevenson there was born a son, Will- 
iam S., whose home is at Girard, 111. He is a 
graduate of the veterinary school at Toronto, 
Canada, and is engaged in the practice of his 
profession in the Prairie State. Mr. Stevenson's 
first wife lived but a few years, and for his .second 
companion lie chose Miss Helena Schoonmaker, 
also of the town of Tyre, and the daughter of D. 
W. and Lydia Schoonmaker. 



-li^<:i 




."■r-i — 



/HHARLES a. la rue, who is engaged in 
I C general farming in the town of Montour, 
\J Schuyler County, is a native of that town, 
born January 7, 1843, and is a son of John 
C. and Hannah (Hazlett) La Rue. His father 
was a native of New Jersey, born in 1820, and 
was a son of Isaac La Rue, who was a farmer by 
occupation and likewise a native of New Jersey, 
where he spent his entire life. John C. La Rue 
came to Scliu\ler County when about twenty-one 
years of age, and here he married Hannah Haz- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



471 



lett. Shortly after their marriage the father pur- 
chased sixty acres of land, on which he located and 
afterward added eighty acres to the tract, making 
a farm of one hundred and forty acres, which is 
now the home of his son, George La Rue. He 
was a successful farmer, and at the time of his 
death owned some two hundred and thirty acres 
of valuable land. In politics he was a Democrat, 
and was fairly active in political affairs. He died 
on the old homestead in 1892, and his remains 
were interred in Montour Cemeters-, at Montour 
Falls, N. Y. Mrs. La Rue is still living, making 
her home with her married daughter, Mrs. D. G. 
Topping. They became the parents of six chil- 
dren, four sons and two daughters, and all reside 
in New York vState. 

The subject of this sketch was second in order 
of birth and was reared on the old farm in the 
town of Montour, acquiring a good common- 
school education. He remained at home, assist- 
ing in the cultivation of the farm, until he was 
twenty-five years of age, when, December 24, 
1868, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
Fenton, a daughter of Claudius C. and Cynthia 
(Mapes) Fenton. The former lives on his farm 
of one hundred and sixteen acres near Montour 
Falls. Mrs. Fenton died January 23, 1894, at 
the age of seventy, and her remains were interred 
in Montour Cemetery, at Montour Falls. In their 
family were five children, four of whom are living. 
Mrs. La Rue is a niece of the noted physician, C. 
C. Coan, of Ovid, who at his decease left a verv 
fine estate valued at $168,000. 

By the union of our subject and his wife two 
children were born. Georgia G., born January 
27,1870, was educated at Cook Academy, at Mon- 
tour Falls, and engaged in school teaching sev- 
eral terms before her marriage. She is now the 
wife of Myron W. Allen, who resides at North 
Hector, N. Y. , where the latter is general agent 
for the Osborn Machine Company. In the last- 
named place Mr. Allen owns a small fruit farm. 
Alton C. La Rue, born July 22, 1873, was edu- 
cated in the common schools of Schujder County 
and has taken a commercial course at Elmira, 
N. Y., thus preparing him.self for a business life. 

Shortly after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. La 



Rue bought one hundred and si.xteen acres of 
land of J. C. La Rue, where they have resided for 
twenty-seven years. In 1893 they bought another 
farm adjoining, which contains eighty acres, 
making two very valuable farms. Here they 
have since continued to reside, and here our sub- 
ject has engaged in farming, and stock-raising. 
He has always been interested in political affairs 
and has been active in the councils of his party. 
He is a Democrat, and firmly believes in the prin- 
ciples of the party. As a citizen he is greatly es- 
teemed, and has ever endeavored to live .so as to 
merit the good-will of his fellow-citizens. 



-1^ 






3OHN W. DAY, M. D., is one of the ablest 
and best known physicians of Seneca County 
and is an influential citizen of Waterloo. 
His place of nativity was Sugar Hill, Orange 
County, N. Y., and the date of his birth July 7, 
1845, his parents being Rev. John H. and Susan 
(Woodruff) Day. His father, who devoted his 
entire life to the ministry of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church, was at one time a member of the 
old East Genesee Conference, and later was con- 
nected with the Central New York Conference. 
He died in October, 1S91, near the village of 
Nelson, Pa. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject was 
Thomas Day, a descendant of English ancestors. 
The mother, Susan, was born in Orange Count\', 
N. Y., and is still living, being a resident of 
Havana, Schuyler County, and now in her eigh- 
ty-first year. She was a daughter of Jacob 
Woodruff. John W. is one of eight children, 
there being two sisters and one brother now liv- 
ing. He passed his boyhood da\s with his par- 
ents, but at the age of fifteen left home and took 
a course of study in Dundee Academy. 

About this time the rumbling of the Civil War 



472 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



began to be heard distinctly in all parts of the 
countr}^ and our subject, though only a youth of 
sixteen, took a deep interest in passing events, 
and a year later, when the clouds were lowering 
on every side and the future of the country 
seemed to be shrouded in darkness, the boy of 
seventeen took the part of a man in the conflict 
for the maintenance of the Union, one and insep- 
arable. He was a member of Company G, One 
Hundred and Ninth New York Infantry, Col. 
B. F. Tracey commanding. He participated in 
many of the hard-fought engagements of the 
Army of the Potomac, of which his regiment 
formed a part. At the battle of the Wilderness 
he was badly wounded by a fragment of a shell, 
and was carried from the field to a hospital. 
His wound being of a painful character, he was 
discharged in 1864. 

The family at that time resided in Rochester, 
N. Y., where our subject joined them. As soon 
as he had sufficiently recuperated his shattered 
health he took up the study of medicine with 
Dr. Eastman, of Geneva. Later he entered the 
medical department of Hobart College, from 
which he was graduated in 1870. He commenced 
the practice of medicine at Clifton Spruigs, 
N. Y., but soon removed to Saginaw, Mich., 
where he remained for five years. Not liking 
that climate or country, however, he came back 
to New York in 1875 and settled in Waterloo, 
where he has built up a fine practice, that he 
personally attends to. In 1890 he was appointed 
Postmaster at Waterloo and held the position for 
four and one-half years, but a change in the ad- 
ministration presented a new candidate for the 
office. Since that time he has given his attention 
to his practice and to his fine stock farm. 

As a stock-breeder the Doctor has been very 
successful, so much .so that the Patchen Horse 
Farm (his place) is known all over the world. 
He took three trips to Europe with selections 
from his stock, numbering seventy head. "Kai- 
ser," one of the most noted horses in this part of 
the country, stands at the head of the Doctor's 
large herd, though there are others that were bred 
on the farm and have been sold for fancy prices, 
both in this country and abroad. Some of the 



horses he has bred are to be found in England, 
France, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Denmark 
and Italy. In January, 1895, he sent four 
honses from his farm to Copenhagen to be used by 
a crack military company. The farm is situated 
two miles south of Waterloo and is fitted up 
with every convenience for the breeding of fine 
horses and for their proper care. 

In 1867 the Doctor married Miss Elizabeth 
Raines, of Canandaigua, N. Y., and they have a 
beautiful home in Waterloo. He is President of 
the village, and has served the public in that 
capacity two terms, besides filling other offices of 
trust. He is not a politician, and only occupied 
office from a sense of responsibility as a citizen, 
and not from choice. He enjoys the confidence 
and good-will of his neighbors and of tho.se with 
whom he comes in contact in a business way. 
With the reputation he has made both as a suc- 
cessful physician and a breeder of fine stock, the 
future has for him a bright outlook. What he 
has is the fruits of his labor and the reward of 
perseverance in his professional labors. Failure 
rarely comes to men of his mold, and he is no ex- 
ception to the rule. He has succeeded becau.se 
he deserved success. 



\^ i^mk ^ 



I'e)' 



"^^ 



REUBEN E. SAEGER, one of the most suc- 
cessful men of this locality, is the owner of 
fifty acres of excellent farming land adjoin- 
ing the village of Bearytown, where he lives and 
where he is engaged in the agricultural-implement 
business. He has worked hard, acctnnulating this 
property by his own efforts. He is a native of 
this county, and was born in the town of Fayette, 
September 20, 1858. His parents were Reuben 
and Jane (Rogers) Saeger, the former born in 
Northumberland County, Pa., while the latter 
was a native of the town of Fayette. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



473 



On coining hither from the Keystone State the 
paternal grandfather of onr snbject, who bore 
the name of Daniel Saeger, chose for his future 
home a location in this town. Here Reuben, Sr., 
was reared to manhood, learning the trade of a 
blacksmith and making this his business in life 
for the following twenty years. At the expira- 
tion of that time he felt quite willing to retire 
from this arduous work, and, purchasing a farm 
of one hundred and thirty acres, gave his atten- 
tion ever afterward to its further improvement. 
There were three children born of his union with 
Miss Rogers, of whom our subject is the young- 
est. Freeman R., the eldest of the household, 
also makes his home in this town, while Judson 
L. is a resident of L,os Angeles, Cal., managing 
the branch house of the Crane Manufacturing 
Company of Chicago. 

The father was a prominent Democrat in poli- 
tics, and by his fellow-townsmen was made Iiis 
own successor as Justice of the Peace for a period 
of twenty-eight years. During this time he was 
called upon to settle many cases, and it was a very 
rare thing that his decisions were not sustained 
by upper courts. He was a man of sound judg- 
ment and good business principles, and his advice 
was often sought by business men. His death 
occurred September 6, 18S4, when threescore and 
twelve years old, but his good wife survived him 
three years, passing away in 1887, when seventy 
j'ears of age. 

The subject of this sketch made the most of 
every opportunity granted him to acquire knowl- 
edge, and after pursuing the course taught in the 
common schools became a student in the State 
Normal School at Gene.seo, this state. After 
prosecuting his studies there for one year he be- 
gan teaching school, and from the summer of 
1874 until 1880 taught during the winter terms. 
Although remarkably successful in this vocation, 
it was not his intention to follow it for a business, 
as he desired to engage in t)usiness on his own 
account as .soon as his means would permit. 
From 1882 to 1884 he managed his father's farm 
on shares, and this greatly added to his income. 

The marriage of our subject with Miss Cornelia 
Yost was celebrated December 28, 1881. This 



lady was born in the town of Fayette and was. the 
daughter of Ca.sper and Jane (Brickley) Yost, 
natives of the town Fayette. To them have been 
granted five children, namely: Eddie, born in the 
town of Fayette September 29, 1882; Ethel, Sep- 
tember 8, 1887; Glenn, July 16, 1889; Lee, March 
21, 1891: and Nellie, Novembers, 1893. 

In 1884 Mr. Saeger took possession of his pres- 
ent farm, moving onto it in the fall of the year. 
Although this property is cultivated with profit 
to the owner, he gives the greater part of his at- 
tention to the implement business, having a large 
stock of machines on hand in his store at Beary- 
town, which he opened up in 1895. He has al- 
ready become widely known to the farmers of 
the surrounding territory, who make a call upon 
him when in need of anything in the line of farm 
machinery. 

In politics Mr. Saeger is prominent in the 
councils of the Democratic party, and on this 
ticket was elected Town Clerk in 1885, and in 
1890 was the successful candidate for the office of 
Supervisor. He has been a delegate to the vari- 
ous conventions of his party, and is ever ready, 
both b)- voice and influence, to aid in its success, 
socially he is a Mason of good standing, and in 
1895 became identified with Lodge No. 539, of 
Fa\'ette, During the years 1891-92-93 he was 
keeper of the Seneca County Almshouse, and in 
all his undertakings his efforts have been crowned 
with success to a gratifying degree. Personally 
he commands the esteem and liking of his neigh- 
bors. 



I YMAN CRONKRITE has been successfully 
It engaged in farming for many years, and 
I J through his arduous exertions he has gained 
a place among the efficient, respected agricultur- 
ists of Schuyler County. The tract which he 
now owns is very productive and well cultivated, 
and upon il have been placed all the improve- 



474 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



ments of a model estate. Not only has he identi- 
fied himself thoroughly with the farming interests 
of this section, but by his genial, affable manners 
he has won many friends among the people of 
the locality. 

In the town of Urbana, Steuben County, N. 
Y., the subject of this sketch was born November 
23, 1829. At the age of twelve years he moved 
with his father, Henry Cronkrite, to the town of 
Orange, Schuyler County, where he attended the 
district schools for a few years. When twenty 
years of age he entered Starkey Seminary, where 
he spent one winter. In the sunnner following 
he went to Lima vSeminary, where he conducted 
his studies for two years. On completing his 
education, he taught a few terms of .school, and 
later was employed as a clerk in a .store about 
two years. On account of ill -health he was 
obliged to seek outdoor employment, and so left 
the store and assisted in the cultivation of the 
home farm. For a number of years he taught 
school during the winter months, while in sum- 
mer he worked on the farm. 

At Milo, Ystes County, N. Y., Mr. Cronkrite 
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Long- 
well, who was born May 13, 1836, in Bath, Steu- 
ben County, this state, whence she accompanied 
her parents to Yates County. From the time of 
his marriage, which occurred June 11, 1864, until 
1 868 our subject continued to reside in Yates 
County, but during the latter year they removed 
to Schuyler County and settled in the town of 
Orange, where they are well known for hospital- 
ity and good works. 

The political views of Mr. Cronkrite have 
brought him into affiliation with the Democratic 
party, and he is an earnest upholder of its prin- 
ciples and policy. For nine years he has been 
Assessor of the town, and for sixteen years was 
the popular Justice of the Peace, discharging the 
duties of that responsible office in a highly satis- 
factory manner. Through his habit of systematic 
reading, and his travels, which have extended 
into many of the states, he has become familiar 
with the customs and peculiarities of the people 
of different localities. Public-spirited and pro- 
gressive, he is always among the first to favor 



an}- advanced step in the county, either in agri- 
cultural circles or educational affairs. For a 
number of years he has been School Trustee, and 
in this position has rendered efficient service. He 
is a man whose career has been above reproach, 
and whose honesty and uprightness have never 
been questioned. 






->-»-••- 



M^ 



-»•< • < - 



(lOHN ABBOTT, a farmer and stock-raiser of 
I the town of Fa3'ette, has done much in the 
Q) improvement of this part of Seneca County. 
He was born in the town of Varick, January 12, 
1826, and is the son of Jesse and Mary Catherine 
(Gambee) Abbott, natives, respectively, of New 
Jersey and Pennsylvania. The father was born 
in 1796, and was brought to this state by his 
father, Daniel Abbott, in the year 1812. The 
grandfather first located in the town of Fayette, 
but afterward moved to the town of Romulus, 
and later to Varick, in each of which communities 
he owned land He served as a soldier in the 
Revolutionary War, and his wife, who was also a 
strong patriot, aided the cause of the Continent- 
als by singing patriotic and inspiring songs. He 
died in \'arick in 1840, at the age of eighty-four 
years. 

Jesse Abbott was a well, read man, and was 
given more than an ordinary education for that 
day. He made farming his business through 
life, living upon one of the tracts which he pur- 
chased from his father. In early life he was a 
Whig, politically, but after 1856 voted for the 
Republican candidates. He was only permitted to 
vote for two Presidents, however, as he died in 
1863. He represented his town on the Board of 
Supervisors, and in other ways aided public en- 
terprises. His good wife, who was born in 1800, 
lived until 1881. 

The subject of this sketch was the eldest in the 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



475 



parental familj- of eight children. His only 
brother, William, clj-ing in his teens, John was 
needed on the farm, and he was therefore per- 
mitted to attend school but a short time each year. 
He remained with his mother, profitably man- 
aging affairs until twenty-eight years of age, 
when he started out to do for himself He was 
married, in July, 1855, to Miss Margaret Pon- 
tius, of the town of Fayette, and to them were 
born two children. Frances Adel, who married 
Charles Lautenschlager, makes her home in the 
town of Varick ; and Mary C, now the wife of 
Chancy Teunison, is a resident of Bloomington, 
111. The wife and mother departed this life in 
1857, and April 10, two years later, our subject 
married Miss Mary A. Kuney, who was born in 
the town of Fayette, on the property where Mr. 
Abbott now makes his home, and which belonged 
to her grandfather. It afterward was inherited 
by her father, Benjamin Kuney, from whom Jesse 
Abbott purchased it. By his marriage with Miss 
Kuney there have been born six children. Carrie 
married Wellie P. Moses, whose sketch will be 
found elsewhere in this volume; lyUther chose for 
his wife Pearl Moyer, and lives in this town; Ed- 
ward married Carrie Reed, of the town of Varick ; 
Nellie is now Mrs. Eugene Beck, of Seneca Falls; 
lyorana Pearl is at home with our subject, as is 
also Maynard. They all have been given good 
educations, and fitted for useful positions in life. 

Our subject cast his first Presidential vote, for 
a Whig candidate, in 1848. In 1856, however, he 
voted for John C. Fremont, and has ever since 
supported Republican candidates. He was elected 
on that ticket to the office ot Supervisor and Road 
Commissioner, and at one time was candidate for 
the Superintendency of the County Poor Farm, 
but failed in being elected, as the county was 
strongly Democratic. 

Mr. Abbott is well known through this com- 
munity, as for twentj^-seven years he was the 
traveling salesman for D. M. Osborne, manufact- 
urer of a superior grade of reapers and mowers. 
His farm, which he now cultivates, is one hun- 
dred and fifty-five acres iu extent, and on it he 
has erected substantial buildings. He began at 
the bottom round of the ladder, and his career 



through life is worthy of emulation. He is sur- 
rounded by all the comforts of life, and, with his 
happy family, is so .situated that he can enjoy 
peace and quiet. 




HON. CHARLES COOK, for many years the 
most prominent citizen of Schuyler County, 
was born in what is now the town of Spring- 
field, Otsego County, N. Y., November 20, 1800, 
being the son ot Paul and Jerusha (Hatch) 
Cook, natives, respectively, of Washington Coun- 
ty, N. Y., and Tolland County, Conn. The fam- 
ily originated in England, but was represented 
in New England in the early part of the seven- 
teenth century. The father, after the Revolu- 
tion, removed to Otsego County, where he started 
a blacksmith's shop, working diligently for the 
support of the family. During the Warofi8i2 
he enlisted in the service, and while stationed at 
Black Rock he was suddenly stricken with apo- 
plexy and died. 

Thus sadly orphaned, the sons were thrown 
upon their own resources, and our subject, when 
twelve years old, secured work with a neighbor- 
ing farmer for a shilling a day. Leaving the 
farm after a short time, he went to live with an 
uncle, Warren Caswell, a merchant at Little Lake, 
Otsego Countj'. Soon he .secured a clerkship in 
a store at Herkimer, from which place he went 
to Utica, and at the age of twenty-three became 
a contractor on the public works. For six years 
he was thus employed, having contracts in New 
York, New Jersey and Peiuis^lvania. 

From Williamsport, Pa., Mr. Cook came to 
Havana in 1829, and afterward engaged in the 
con.struction of the Chemung Canal through this 
village, then only a straggling settlement of a 
few houses .scattered along the stream, called the 
Inlet, and known by that name at the present 



476 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



time, and also as Catherine's Creek. Though 
not impressed with the place, the beauty of the 
surroundin.c^ scenery caused him to establish his 
home here. He attempted to make purchase at 
what is now \A'atkins, but finding the ground 
mostly taken by wealthy capitalists from New 
York City, he returned here and purchased what 
was known as the David L,ee Farm. Subsequently 
he laid out and largely built up the western part 
of the place, as it now stands, and which, on the 
completion of the canal in 1836, was incorpo- 
rated as a village and called Havana. For many 
years he resided on the old Lee Farm, in a house 
occupying the present site of Langley Hall. On 
the erection of that building as a court-house in 
1854 and 1S55, the farm building was removed to 
the north, and still stands there, unchanged in 
appearance. 

In addition to his real-estate tra-.'.sactions, Mr. 
Cook engaged in the mercantile business, and 
built stores, warehou.ses and mills on the banks 
of the canal. He rapidly accumulated property, 
and for years was actively engaged in building 
operations. Much that he did in this direction is 
still standing, and the fruits of his labors the pres- 
ent generation enjoys. He became President of 
the Chemung Canal Bank at Elmira. Afterward 
he was interested in the building of the railroad 
through this valley, which was opened in De- 
cember, 1849. In 1830 and 1S51 he formed one 
of the company that contracted to build the Erie 
Railroad from Binghamton to Elmira. In 1850 
he began the erection of the Montour House and 
St. Paul's Church. The hotel was opened in 
1854, and he afterward made it his home. The 
last building put up by him was the bank build- 
ing, begun in 1863. In 1849 he established 
the Havana foiirnal, and for it he wrote con- 
stantly until his death, though it was only dur- 
ing the latter part of his life that it was conducted 
under his name. In 1851 the Bank of Havana 
was organized by him under state supervision. 
In 1864 it was merged into the First National 
Bank of Havana. 

The county of Chemung was organized in 1836, 
and at once Mr. Cook began to agitate the or- 
sjanization of another county out of the territory 



lying about the head of Seneca Lake. After about 
fifteen years he was successful in his efforts, and 
the proposed county was organized as Schuyler 
in April, 1854. After\vard a struggle for the 
county seat arose between Havana and Watkins, 
and through his influence Havana gained the 
victory. But after his death the matter was at 
once revived, and in 1867 the county .seat was 
transferred to Watkins. Through his instrumen- 
tality the People's College was located in Havana 
in 1857, and the following year the corner-stone 
was laid. Rev. Amos Brown was called to the 
Presidency, and through his efforts at Washing- 
ton, under Mr. Cook's direction, a grant was ob- 
tained. 

In 1847 Mr. Cook was elected Canal Commis- 
sioner, and re-elected for three years in 1848. In 
1 86 1 he was elected State Senator for this dis- 
trict, and during the last session of that body he 
succeeded in having passed an appropriation grant- 
ing to the People's College $10,000 for two years. 
In 1863 he introduced an act appropriating the 
income and revenue of the proceeds of the sale of 
the lands granted to the state to the People's Col- 
lege. Thus he made available for the use of the 
college a magnificent grant, the income of which 
amounts to $20,000 per year, while the fund ac- 
cruing irom the college land strip in the keeping 
of the state is nearly $475,000, and the result- 
ing fund and its income, though unknown, prob- 
ably much more. 

After a most useful life, Mr. Cook died at Au- 
burn, N. Y., October 16, 1866, at the home of 
his relative. Gen. John H. Chedell. The imme- 
diate cause of his death was a second stroke of 
paralvsis. At his request, left in writing, the 
rites of the Protestant Episcopal Church were 
said over his remains, and he was interred in 
Queen Catharine's Mound, south of the village. 
His request that his funeral should be without pa- 
rade and that his kindred should be buried beside 
him was ob.served. November 20, 1886, twenty 
years after his death, a bronze bust was unveiled in 
Cook Academy at Havana. This was preseuted 
to the academy by H. C. Ives, of St. Louis, and 
is the work of the sculptor, Robert Bringhurst. 
The facts that are contained in this review 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



477 



have been gleaned from the biographical address 
of Hull Fanton, on the occasion of the unveiling 
of the bust in bronze, and it is fitting to close 
with a quotation from his scholarlj- address: 
"From his grounds a beautiful and striking view 
of the vallej^ and highlands is had. To the north 
Seneca Lake is in full view, while the village he 
idolized and loved so fondh- is close in the fore- 
ground. The prediction made at the time of his 
death is being in part fulfilled. It was that as 
'time rolled by the memorj- of Charles Cook would 
grow dearer and his life would appear brighter 
to the residents of the village he did so much to 
make, as well as to the inhabitants of Schuj-ler 
County, which owed its existence as one of the 
civil divisions of the state to his unflagging en- 
ergy, perseverance and indomitable will.' " 




y yiARTIN MOORE, who is the leading mer- 
y chant of Beaver Dams, is a native of Schuy- 
CS ler Count)', born in the town of Orange, 
April 12, 1863, and is the .son of Martin and 
Catharine (Putnam) Moore, both of whom were 
natives of Fulton County, N. Y., where the}' 
were married, and whence they emigrated to this 
county about 1855, locating in the town of 
Orange. The father, who was an extensive 
farmer, was well known throughout the coun- 
ty. In politics he was a stanch Republican, 
and religiously he was a member of the Presby- 
terian Church. He died in June, i88g, on the 
old homestead, where he had resided about thirt\- 
five years. His wife, who makes her home with 
our subject, is also a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, and is an earne.st and true Christian 
woman. 

Our subject was the youngest in a family of 

eight children, five of whom are yet Ii\'ing, and 

all reside in Schuyler County but George, who 

lives in Steuben County and is engaged in the 

20 



mercantile trade. Our subject remained on the 
home farm until twenty-five years of age, assist- 
ing in the cultivation of the farm. His education 
was received in the common schools, and although 
his school life was limited, he is at present a well 
informed man, being a great reader and a student 
of history. He was married. May 28, 1886, to 
Miss Alma Fair, of Moreland, who was born in 
that place December 24, 1862. Her parents, 
Warren and Emma (Owens) Fair, are both na- 
tives of this county. After his marriage Mr. 
Moore took charge of the home place, where he 
remained until 1893, when he removed to Beaver 
Dams and engaged in the mercantile business. 
He and his partner continued in business until 
January, 1894, when Mr. Moore purchased the 
interest of the latter and has since continued 
alone. He carries a large and well selected 
stock of merchandise and has the best trade in 
the village. 

In politics Mr. Moore is a Republican, and cast 
his first Presidential vote for General Garfield. 
Siuce 1890 he has been a Master Mason, holding 
membership in Orange Lodge No. 631, in which 
he occupied a number of offices, and at the time 
itdi.sbanded was Worshipful Master. Mrs. Moore, 
who is a refined and intelligent lady, is a member 
of the Presbyterian Church. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
Moore are highly respected in the community and 
occupy a leading position in society. 



••>*^®(ea\5,t^^^<^ — , — ^ 



HON. WILLIAM L. SWEET, who deals in 
grain at Waterloo and in coal at Syracuse, 
was born in Seneca Countj', N. Y., October 
25, 1850. His father, Abraham L. Sweet, was 
born in this county in 1818. The grandfather, 
Lemuel Sweet, who was also born in Seneca 
County, was the son of Col. James Sweet, who 
was one of the pioneers of the count}'. The vSweets 
represent one of the oldest families of the entire 



478 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



region and, upon coming from England, first set- 
tled in Rhode Island. Abraham L. Sweet married 
Charlotte Louise Cook, who was born in Seneca 
Count}-, and who is the daughter of Abiel Cook, 
also a native of this county. His father, Stephen 
Cook, was a pioneer of English descent. The 
father of our subject died in Waterloo in 1891, 
but his mother is still living and is in her seven- 
tieth year. 

Hon. William L. Sweet, whose name opens 
this article, is the second of four children. He 
has two brothers, who are somewhat widely scat- 
tered, according to the American fashion of seek- 
ing the ends of the earth. James A. is now at 
Kansas Cit}-, Mo.; and Charles C, who turned his 
face to the East, is now a commission merchant 
in the city of New York. Our subject's only sis- 
ter was married to R. A. Parke and died early in 
her married life, leaving one daughter. 

Mr. Sweet, our subject, passed his boyhood in 
work and play, study and fun, and attended the 
Union School at Waterloo, finishing his school 
experiences at Cazenovia Seminary. On leaving 
school he entered his bu.siness career at Waterloo 
as one of the firm of Cook & Sweet, dealers in 
grain, seed and wool. Later, in connection with 
his brother Charles, he organized the firm of 
C. C. Sweet & Co. in New York City and the 
partnership still exists. For the past twenty 
years he has been a member of the New York 
Produce Exchange. In 1885 he bought the 
Waterloo Flouring Mills, organized the firm of 
Sweet, Mongin & Cook, and engaged in the man- 
ufacture of flour up to 1892, when the mills were 
burned. This was a calamity, but it did not dis- 
courage his indomitable .spirit, for he at once en- 
tered the grain and coal business in a large way, 
his main ofiice now being at Syracuse. 

In 1874 Mr. Sweet was married to Mary A. 
Cook, daughter of George Cook, of Waterloo. To 
them have been born five sons and four daugh- 
ters. The family has a beautiful home life, and 
Mrs. Sweet has been a helpful wife to her husband 
and a strong force in the social life of the com- 
munity. 

In politics Mr. Sweet has been a stanch Re- 
publican and has been the recipient of not a few 



party honors. He has served as President of the 
village two years and has also been President of 
the School Board. In 1886 he was elected As- 
sembl3man, representing Seneca County, and the 
following year witnessed his election as State 
Senator. He served in the session of i888-'89, 
and was a member of several important commit- 
tees, one of which was Canals, and was Chairman 
of the Committee on State Prisons. He and his 
family are members of the Episcopal Church, and 
accomplish much good in moral and religious di- 
rections. Their home, which is a social center, 
is a commodious and substantial brick structure. 



(^ 



.^lli^, 



-^1 



& 



^ 



GlDELBERT F. HARRIS, whose life has 
LI been spent in the calling which now receives 
/ I his attention, that of agriculture, is now liv- 
ing in the thriving little village of MacDougall, 
although his time and attention are devoted to 
the cultivation of a valuable property in the town 
of Fayette, near that place. 

Our .subject is a native of Seneca County, and 
was born in Seneca Falls October 6, i860. His 
parents were John and Susan (Bachman) Harris, 
both of whom were born in this county, the 
former in 1834. John Harris was a life-long 
farmer, and in his calling became fairly- success- 
ful. He died when our subject was a small boj-, 
leaving a widow and four children, all of whom 
survive. 

The boyhood days of our subject were passed 
on his father's estate, he aiding in the work 
whenever possible, and attending the district 
school during -the dull seasons of farm work. 
When eighteen years of age, however, he was 
paid for his labor and began to lay by his earn- 
ings so that he might gain a good .start in life. 

The marriage of Mr. Harris and Miss Viola 
Gambee was celebrated April 26, 1S83. Mrs. 
Harris was born in the town of Fayette and was 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



479 



the daughter of Benjamin and Christina (Hogan) 
Gambee, the former born in this county October 
I, 1836. He was one of the substantial and influ- 
ential farmers of this portion of the county, and 
at the time of his decease, Februarj' 28, 1893, 
left a goodlj- estate. 

For two years after his union our subject con- 
tinued to make his home in the village of Fay- 
ette, and at the end of that time he moved upon 
the old Gambee homestead, the place which he 
now occupies, and which the father of Mrs. Har- 
ris resided upon for many years. 

Politically our subject has always supported 
Democratic principles, and in 1894 was the candi- 
date of his party for the office of Commissioner of 
Highways, being elected by a good majority, 
although the ticket ran largely Republican. He 
proves a good oflScial and is justly deserving of 
the respect and esteem which are accorded him 
as one of the influential melnbers of the com- 
munitv. 



30EL M. COUCH is a retired farmer living 
in the town of Montour, where he has resided 
for fifty years. He was born in August, 
1818, in Fairfield Count}', Conn., and is a son of 
Hezekiah and Clara (Merchant) Couch, both of 
whom were natives of the .same county. Thomas 
Couch, his grandfather, who was also a native of 
Connecticut, for many years was a sea-captain. 
He was very wealthy, but during the Revolu- 
tionary War was robbed of all his po.ssessions tiy 
the British, with the exception of a farm and the 
old homestead in which his children and grand- 
children were born. Hezekiah Couch, the father 
of our subject, was a farmer by occupation, and 
early in the present century removed from Con- 
necticut to Putnam Countv, N. Y., where he 
spent the remainder of his life. In that county 
our subject spent his early life and remained with 
his parents until after he attained his majorit)-. 



He was educated in the common schools of that 
county, and there married Eliza Cowel, who was. 
a native of Connecticut, but who removed with 
her parents to Putnam County some years prior 
to her marriage. 

In 1845 our subject removed with his young 
bride to Schuyler County, which was then a part 
of Chemung County, and located on the farm 
where he yet resides, but which is now controlled 
by his son Charles. Here he has lived an honor- 
able and upright life, making a success in a fi- 
nancial way, and giving his attention wholly to 
farming. A Democrat in politics, he has never 
sought official position, but has been content with 
casting his vote for the party whose principles he 
has always thought best for the good of the 
country. He and his wife are members of the 
Episcopal Church. They were the parents of 
five children, of whom only one, Charles H., is 
now living, four dying of diphtheria within a few 
weeks of one another. 

Charles H. Couch, the only surviving child of 
Joel and Eliza Couch, was born on the old home- 
stead in the town of Montour, September 19, 
1848, and has here resided during his entire life. 
His primary education was received in the dis- 
trict schools of the town, and his education was 
finished in the seminary at Lima, N. Y. He 
was united in marriage with Miss Mary Turner, 
who is a native of Chemung County, and a daugh- 
ter of Haverley and Jane (Morehouse) Turner. 
Her father is a pro.sperous farmer in Chemung 
County, and has always been an enterprising and 
industrious man. By this union four children 
have been born, two .sons and two daughters: 
Legrand F., Harvey J., Clara and Anna. The 
sons are students in the Cook Acadeni}', and it is 
the intention of Mr. Couch that each of his chil- 
dren shall have a good education. 

In addition to farming Mr. Couch has been en- 
gaged to some extent in the real-estate business, 
in wnich he has been succe.ssful, having pur- 
chased and sold many farms throughout the 
country. In addition to the old home farm of 
one hundred acres, he is the owner of four hun- 
dred acres elsewhere in vSchuyler County. He 
has followed general farming and stock-raising, 



48o 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



and has upon his place a fine herd of Guernsey 

cattle, he being the first to introduce this breed 
in the neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Couch are 
members of St. John's Episcopal Church of Cath- 
arine. In politics he is a Democrat, though 
broad and liberal in his views. He has alwaj'S 
been too busy to give his attention to politics and 
has always refused public oflSce. Fraternally he 
is a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, with which organization he united short- 
ly after attaining his majority. 



---^ 



HUGH SHERIDAN, proprietor of the vSeneca 
Falls Woolen-mills, has been connected with 
the manufacture of woolen goods nearly all 
his entire life, and thoroughly understands the 
business in all its details. He is a native of 
Scotland, and was born in 1844. His father was 
a farmer and herder in his native country, and in 
1871 emigrated to America. In 1872 he located 
at North Adams, Mass., at which place he sub- 
sequently died. His widow is now making her 
home with her son in Seneca Falls. 

Hugh Sheridan is third in a family of nine 
children, six sons and three daughters, all of 
whom are yet living. His early life was spent in 
his native country and his schooling was received 
before his tenth year. At that age he began 
herding, continuing thus occupied until thirteen 
years old, when he worked on a farm for a time. 
Later he went to Glasgow, where he entered 
the employ of A. & S. Henrj-, manufacturers of 
woolen goods, and after remaining with them for 
seventeen 5-ears, came to the United States, first 
locating at Pownal, Vt., where he was employed 
in the woolen-mills of S. Wright & Co. as skin- 
ner. He remained in the latter mills twelve 
years, after which he went to North Adams, 
Mass., as manager of the woolen-mills at that 
place. Subsequently he went to Glenville, Conn. , 



being employed in the mills there, and later was 
employed in the Lawrence Mills as manager of 
the woolen department. His next move was to 
Providence, R. I., where he was connected with 
Charles Fletcher, and had charge of the mills at 
that place. He there remained vmtil his removal 
to Seneca Falls, and here he has since remained 
in charge of the mills, which were established 
here many years ago. At present the mills are 
manufacturing suiting and ladies' cloaking. One 
hundred and twenty men are constantly employ- 
ed, and the output is shipped to B. M. Ewing & 
Co., No. 89 North vStreet, New York City. The 
mills hqve a capacity of from forty-five hundred 
to five thousand yards per week. 

In 1880 Mr. Sheridan was united in marriage 
with Miss Mary O'Connell, of North Adams, 
Mass., and they have a family of three sons and 
two daughters. In politics Mr. Sheridan is a 
Republican, and religiousl)' he and his family 
are members of St. Mary's Catholic Church. 




(John IRELAND is a well-to-do farmer of 
I the town of Fayette, Seneca County, and his, 
(2/ place, which is conveniently located within 
three miles of Bearytown, is well cultivated and 
bears the improvements usuallj' found on a first- 
class farm. 

Our subject was born in the above town Janu- 
ary 14, 1822, and is the son of David and Mar- 
garet (Frantz) Ireland, both of whom were na- 
tives of Pennsylvania, whence they came to Sene- 
ca County, and upon reaching mature j'ears were 
here married. The father was a verj- prominent 
and influential fanner of this section, owning the 
fifty -five acres of land on which our subject now 
resides; one hundred acres lying in the town of 
Faj-ette, and one hundred and twenty-five acres in 
the town of Varick. He was first a Whig in poli- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



481 



tics, but during the Civil War changed his views 
and thereafter voted for Democratic candidates. 
Religiously he was a member of the Reformed 
Church. 

To David and Margaret Ireland there were 
born seven children, all of whom grew to mature 
years, and five are now living. John spent his 
boyhood days in farm work and in attendance at 
the district school, where he mastered the com- 
mon branches. A little later he apprenticed him- 
self to a blacksmith with the intention of learning 
the trade, but after working at it for two weeks, 
abandoned it on account of sickness and returned 
home. On recovering from this illne.ss his par- 
ents would not give their consent to his returning, 
and consequenth- he remained at home until 
twenty-three years of age. February 8, 1845, he 
was married to Miss Catherine Stahl, who was 
born in the town of Varick November 3, 1823, 
and who is a daughter of Michael and Barbara 
(Smith) Stahl, natives of the Keystone State. 

For three years after his marriage our subject 
lived on the old homestead, being employed by 
the month by his father. At the end of that time 
he opeiated a farm on shares in the town of Var- 
ick, but during the gold excitement in California 
disposed of his share in the estate and made ready- 
to join a party bound for that western state. 
This purpose he did not carry out, however, as 
the company abandoned their project, and Mr. 
Ireland then worked out by the day for a couple 
of years. He later moved to his present estate, 
which was then owned by his father, and which 
he worked for him on shares for a time. Finally 
he was given a deed to the place, and here he has 
resided ever since. In the '70s he erected a brick 
residence, which to-day is one of the best and 
most attractive of the dwellings in this locality. 

To our subject and his excellent wife there 
have been born seven children. The eldest, 
Frances L., married Benjamin Sell, and is living 
near Cayuga Lake. Chri.stina married Alonzo 
Stout, and makes her home in this county. Phebe 
Adelia married Jedediah Townsend and is living 
three miles south of Romulus. George A. is a 
substantial farmer of the town of Varick. Mar- 
garet is the wife of William S. Brooks and is liv- 



ing near Hayt Corners. Mary Ellen is the wife 
of Richard Murray, a resident of the town of Fay- 
ette; and Seymour W. is married and living in 
the town of Varick. Mr. Ireland is a Democrat 
in politics, and cast his first vote in 1844 for James 
K. Polk. He has never been an office-seeker, 
having his time fully occupied in looking after 
his private interests. Socially he is a member of 
the Grangfe. 



-*-^. 



i^;]^^-j< 



^«->> 



■^'^1^^ 



:-<-*• 



(TACOB REEDER. The gentleman whose 
I sketch now claims our attention is filling the 
v2/ respon.sible office of Postmaster of Canoga, 
Seneca County. He was born in Perry County, 
Pa., April g, 1832, and is the son of Jacob and 
Elizabeth (Moose) Reeder. He was in his eighth 
year when his parents made the journey to this 
state, choosing for their future home a farm in 
the town of Varick, Seneca County. This vent- 
ure did not turn out as the father had expected, 
and two years later the family moved to Fayette, 
where Mr. Reeder, Sr. , gave his attention to 
weaving. 

The parental family was very large, and the 
father a poor man, so that what little education 
the children received was gained mainly by their 
own efforts. Jacob, of this sketch, began work- 
ing out when only fifteen years old, and it was 
not until three years later that he found an op- 
portunity to carry on his studies regularly. He 
obtained from his first position $7.50 per month, 
and so careful was he of his earnings, that two 
years and a-half later he was enabled to purchase 
a snug little home for his parents. He was still 
working out on the outbreak of the Civil War, 
and, being fired with the spirit of patriotism, en- 
listed, Augu.st 25, 1862, in Company D, One 
Hundred and Forty-eighth New York Infantrj-. 
While in the service he participated in many of 



482 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



the important battles of that period, his first en- 
gagement being at Clover Hill. Then occurred 
the fight at Drury's Bluff, which was followed b}- 
the engagement at Cold Harbor, where, June 3, 
1864, he was shot by a rainie-ball and wounded 
just above the elbow. This injury proved so 
serious that his arm was obliged to be amputated, 
the operation being performed in the field hos- 
pital at Cold Harbor. He remained there from 
Friday until Sunday, when he was .sent to Har- 
wood Hospital, at Washington, D. C. There he 
received good nunsing, and remained until July 
22, when, with others, he was transferred to the 
hospital at Philadelphia. After two weeks in the 
Quaker Citj' he was given a pass, and, returning 
home, staid for four months. 

At the expiration of the above time Mr. Reeder 
returned to Philadelphia, where he remained 
until granted his honorable discharge, in Febru- 
ary, 1865. After fully recovering from his armj' 
experience, our subject purchased a threshing- 
machine, which he operated during the harvest 
season, thereby acquiring a good income. He 
was married, February 26, 1867, to Miss Marilla 
Beck, who was born in the town of Fayette. 
That year he was elected Collector of the town, 
and, having purchased property in the commu- 
nitj', made his home there until about 1 88 1, when 
he sold out and moved with his famil}- to Eaton 
County, Mich. He was a resident of the Wol- 
verine State for two 5'ears, when he returned to 
New York on account of the illness of his wife. 
In 1885 he took up his abode in the village of 
Canoga, and in Julv, 1893, received the appoint- 
ment of Postmaster of the place. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Reeder there were born five 
children, of whom the youngest died in infancy. 
Those living are William, wlio is married and 
resides in Auburn, N. Y.; Clarence, a resident of 
the town of Faj-ette; Lurah, Mrs. Henrj' Snyder, 
a resident of the town of Junius; and Cynthia, 
now living with her parents. 

In politics Mr. Reeder is a Democrat, although 
in early life he supported the candidates of the 
Whig party. He cast his first Presidential vote 
for Fillmore, in 1856, and cast a ballot for George 
B. MacClellan in 1S64. He is a consistent mem- 



ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is 
active in all work of his congregation. Socially 
he is a Grand Army man, belonging to Cross 
Post No. 76, at Seneca Falls. 



MTEPHEN R. BEARDSLEY, an agricult- 
7\ urist of Schuyler Count}', resides on Foot's 
C*j/ Hill, near Odessa. He was born in the 
town of Catharine, July 19, 1847, and is a son of 
James B. and Almira (Hagar) Beardslej-, the 
former a native of this county, and the latter of 
Cayuga County, N. Y. His paternal grandfather 
and great-grandfather came from Connecticut to 
this county, where the latter purchased a large 
tract of land in Christian Hollow (now known as 
Beardsley's Hollow), which at that time was a 
part of Chemung County. Before leaving his child- 
hood home he sat under the preaching of Jesse 
Lee, the pioneer Methodist of the New England 
States, and was the founder of a society that met 
in their own log house for a number of years, the 
first in this section of county lor a radius of 
twentj- miles. 

The subject of this sketch grew to manhood 
under the parental roof, and was but five years 
old when his father moved to Odessa and engaged 
in the mercantile business. Seven years later the 
family moved to the farm which is now his home. 
In the district schools of Odessa and the neigh- 
borhood where the family resided, he obtained a 
fair education, and at the age of eighteen com- 
menced teaching in connection with farm work, 
continuing in that line until thirty years old. He 
remained at home until thirty-two years of age, 
when he was united in marriage, September 3, 
1879, with Miss Mary Creeth, of Philadelphia, 
who was a native of Ireland, but of Scotch de- 
scent. 

After his marriage our subject bought the farm 
where he had lived with his father for ten years 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAI. RECORD. 



483 



previous. This place is still his home, and here 
his attention has been given principallj' to farm 
work. In 1890 he had the misfortune to have 
one of his limbs broken, which for a time incapac- 
itated him for that vocation, and he therefore re- 
sumed teaching. His place consists of eighty 
acres, which is under a good state of cultivation, 
j-ielding him fair returns. For the past few j-ears 
he has al.so taken charge of his father's farm of 
ninety acres, upon which he had resided a part 
of the time. 

In politics Mr. Beardsley was originally a Dem- 
ocrat, and for a year or two voted for that party's 
ticket, but being a strong temperance man and 
believing that the only waj' to abolish intemper- 
ance, the great curse of the nation, is through 
the ballot, he has become a Prohibitionist and 
has voted for every candidate of the Prohibition 
part}' for the Presidency. In religion he has been 
a life-long member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, in which for years he has held office, and 
since eighteen he has been a Sunday-school Su- 
perintendent. His heart is in the work and his 
life has been such as to commend the religion of 
our Saviour. Mrs. Beardslej' comes from a long 
line of Quaker ancestry and is a birthright mem- 
ber of the Societ}' of Friends, holding member- 
ship with the Germantown meetingof Philadelphia 
}-early meeting. She takes deep interest in all lines 
of Christian work disseminating the principles of 
that society, especially in the cause of peace and 
arbitration. Mr. and Mrs. Beardsley are the 
parents of one son, Hubert C, now fourteen 
years of age. 



^Jh..- 



-?"-»-»- 



-•"«—«- 



C. TUNISON. The town of Covert, Sen- 
eca CountyTlsThe home of many well-to-do 
agriculturists who are exempt from any ac- 
tive participation in farm interests, bj^ virtue of 
their advanced years and the accumulated results 



of the toil of former years. Of these, our .sub- 
ject is one, and his experience as a farmer was 
such as to enable him to spend his later years in 
comfort and elegance as one of the most promi- 
nent citizens of the county. 

Mr. Tunisou was born in this town, November 
30, 1815, and is the son of Philip and the grand- 
son of Bogardes L. Tunison, the latter of whom 
was born in New Jersey, whence he came to this 
state and county with horse and wagon over one 
hundred 3'ears ago. He at once chose the town 
of Covert for his future home, and never regretted 
having done so, as he was prosperous in all his un- 
dertakings from that time until his decea.se. 

Philip Tunison married Miss Magdalene Co- 
vert, and to them was born a large family of 
children, including seven sons and three daugh- 
ters. Of these, three are deceased. T. C, of 
this sketch, was permitted to attend the district 
school, where he gained a fair knowledge of the 
common branches taught, and afterward added to 
this a knowledge of farm work. In 1839 he was 
married to Miss Elizabeth Chandler, and they 
became the parents of the following six children: 
Harrison, Lydia and Mary, deceased; Rynear, 
Minor, and one who died in infancy. 

The birth of our subject occurred on a little 
farm about a mile and a-third northwest of the 
village of Farmer. He remained with his par- 
ents until he reached the age of twenty-four 
years, and upon attaining manhood took charge 
of the homestead, which embraced about five 
hundred acres. This proved a splendid experi- 
ence to him, as his father gave him the benefit of 
his years of farm life, so that when ready to en- 
gage in such work for himself he was thoroughly 
competent to do so. 

Mr. Tunison occupied a part of the homestead 
proper, which comprised one hundred and forty- 
five acres, until 1890, when, with his son Harri- 
son, he took possession of a tract of one hundred 
and three acres. He is now the owner of a tract 
of two hundred acres, which is well cultivated, and 
which is made to yield good crops by the splen- 
did manner in which it is tilled. Although he 
still resides upon this estate, he does little else 
than to superintend its operation, as his advanced 



484 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



3-ears prevent him from engaging in any arduous 
work, and, indeed, the results with which he has 
met do not make it uecessar)- for him to do so. 

The reader will doubtless think the biographer 
is writing in ignorance when he makes the state- 
ment that 'Mr. Tunison remembers when the town 
of Covert was little more than woods. This is 
true, however, and to him is given all honor for 
the unselfish manner in which he has given of 
his time and means toward its upbuilding and 
improvement. At that time the now thriving 
villages of Waterloo and Seneca Falls, which are 
connected by an electric railway, were verj' small 
and gave little prospect of their present flour- 
ishing condition. In politics our subject is a 
Republican. 



(^ 



-^, 



Ltr 



p^lllrj:^' 



^ 



HON. ROBERT L. STEVENSON, for many 
jears one of the most prominent citizens of 
the town of Tyre, Seneca County, was born 
in Albany, N. Y., January 25, 1807, being the 
fourth and youngest son of James and Martha 
(Lowther) Stevenson, who were of Scotch line- 
age. His father, who was born in Ireland, was 
an ofiScer in the Irish rebel army and came to 
this country as a refugee in 1798. 

lu 1812, when a small child, our subject was 
brought by his parents to the town of Tyre. In 
December, 1829, he was united in marriage with 
Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin Marsh, of 
Tyre, and settled on the farm where he continued 
to reside until his death. His first wife died July 
7, 1873, and in June, 1875, he was again mar- 
ried, choosing as his wife Miss Sarah P. Bur- 
roughs, of Varick, who survives him. In his 
early life he united with the Presbyterian Church 
of Tyre, and afterward identified himself with 
that church at Seneca Falls, remaining a member 
of it until his death. Politically he was a Demo- 
crat of the most pronounced Jeffersonian type. 



During the war of the Rebellion he was a mem- 
ber of a committee to raise men and means for the 
support of the Government. 

In 1840 Mr. Stevenson was chosen Supervisor 
of Tyre, and afterward filled that position a num- 
ber of terms. He was also Superintendent of the 
Poor of the county. In 1844 he was elected to 
represent Seneca Count\- in the Assemblj-, and 
served in the Legislature of 1845. He attained 
an advanced age, dying August 31, 1892, when 
eighty-five j-ears of age. His was a busj- and 
honorable career, and he retained to the last 
much of the physical and mental vigor that char- 
acterized him in his prime. 



For the above facts with reference to the life of 
Mr. Steven.son, we are indebted to the Se7teca 
Coutity Journal oi 1vi\y 27, 1892. 









HIRAM M. LAY. As might naturally be 
expected, mention is made in the present 
work of many citizens of Seneca County 
now prominent in their different callings, but 
none more so than the successful agriculturist, 
Hiram M. Lay, of the town of Tyre. He was 
born in the same house where he now resides, 
March 6, 1848, and is the son of Hiram and 
Nancy (Morehouse) Lay, the former of whom 
was born in this town, July 23, 1809. He in 
turn was the son of Samuel Lay, one of the old 
pioneers of the county. The latter came here in 
company with his brother manj' years ago, and 
took up land which is now comprised in the old 
Wayne Farm. Before they could erect a cabin to 
shelter them, they slept in an old hollow tree, 
but a severe storm arising one night so thorough- 
ly frightened the brother that he returned East. 
Samuel remained, however, and by so doing be- 
came well-to-do in this world's goods. He after- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



485 



ward sold out his original farm, and purchased a 
tract three-quarters of a mile from where our 
subject now resides. 

Hiram Lay, Sr. , wa.s the eldest member of his 
parents' famiW of ten children, and therefore did 
much hard work in his younger days. Ambi- 
tious to begin life for himself, upon becoming of 
age he purchased a portion of his father's farm, 
and with all the strength of his young manhood 
began its improvement. He was determined to 
make a success of life, and that he did so is 
evidenced by the fact that he was at one time the 
owner of four hundred and fifty acres of excellent 
land, all located in the town of Tyre. He began 
at the bottom of the ladder, and for many \ears 
lived in a little log cabin. As his prospects grew 
brighter, and he felt that he was ju.stified in doing 
so, he erected a more comfortable abode for his 
family. This dwelling is now occupied by our 
subject, and is still in a good state of preserva- 
tion. Its walls are built of cobblestones, and 
will therefore stand the wear of years. 

By his first marriage Hiram Lay, Sr., became 
the father of two children, and b}- his union with 
Nancy Morehouse there were also born two chil- 
dren, of whom our subject was the elder, and 
the only son. The father was a prominent Dem- 
ocrat in his community and for a number of terms 
was Assessor of his town. He lived to an ad- 
vanced age, departing this life July 17, 1893, and 
was buried on the day he would have been eighty - 
four years old. 

The mother of our subject, who had also been 
twice married, had one son by her union with 
Mr. Royston. The former was married, and on 
his death left a family of four children. Mrs. 
Nancy Lay died April 22, 1887. The boyhood 
days of our subject were spent in attendance at 
the district school, after which he was sent to 
.Seneca Falls to complete his education in the ex- 
cellent schools of that place. Later he was de- 
sirous of taking a business course, and, going 
to Syracuse, was graduated from Bryant & Strat- 
ton's College when twenty years of age. He 
then returned to the home farm, and, January 20, 
1874, was married to Mi.ss vSusan Brown, of the 
town of Tyre. To them have been granted two 



sons: Elbert H., born January 28, 1876; and 
Jesse A., born in September, 1878. The former 
took a course in dairying at Cornell University 
in 1895, and is now employed in the butter fac- 
tory at Seneca Falls. 

Mr. Lay gives his adherence t,o the Democratic 
party, and by the members of this organization in 
his community was elected Highway Commis- 
.sioner. He is connected with Seneca Grange at 
Seneca Falls, in which he takes an active part 
and is very greatly interested. Besides having a 
life interest in a tract of two hundred and forty- 
five acres, he is the owner of one hundred and 
five acres of land. Probably no man of his age 
is more popular 'in Tyre than Mr. Lay, and he 
has won this kindly feeling by his genial man- 
ners and good judgment in his intercourse with 
his fellow-men. 



I®). Mi^j^ .(Sj 



(^ 



WILLIAM ROTHWELL. For many years 
Mr. Rothwell followed farming, steadily 
pursuing the "even tenor of his way," and 
was classed among the substantial residents of 
the town of Fayette, Seneca County. His farm, 
which was fifty-five acres in extent, was well lo- 
cated in a fine agricultural district, and on everj- 
hand the passer-by noted the improvements on 
the estate. 

Mr. Rothwell was born in tliis town, October 
12, 18 18, and was therefore in his seventy-fifth 
year at the time of his demi.se, July 24, 1893. 
His parents, Thomas and Sarah (Clauson ) Roth- 
well, who for many years resided here, were 
highly esteemed, and were fairl}- well-to-do in this 
world's goods. 

William, of this sketch, grew to manhood in 
this locality, and gained a good education in the 
common schools. He was given no aid, what- 
ever, when starting out in life, and the success 



486 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



which he achieved redounded greatly to his credit. 
He was married, March 30, 1864, to Miss Ellen 
Ireland, a native of the town of Fayette, her birth 
occurring March 18, 1841. Her parents were 
William and Margaret (Spoon) Ireland, also na- 
tives of the town of Fayette. 

Soon after his marriage our subject became the 
proprietor of a small tract of land comprising 
about thirty acres, and on this he moved with 
his young wife. Together they commenced the 
task of accumulating a competence for future days, 
and in this undertaking were prospered. From 
time to time Mr. Rothwell made additions to his 
farm, until at his death he had fifty-four acres, 
which bear a good line of improvements. 

To our subject and his wife there were born 
two sons. William Edward was born March 16, 
1865, and on the 2d of November, 1890, he mar- 
ried Ruth Secor, of this town. She is a daugh- 
ter of George and Clara (Priest) Secor, and was 
born March 14, 1866. Mr. and Mrj. W. E. 
Rothwell reside in MacDougall, and have two 
children: Clara Beth, born August 15, 1891; and 
Nellie E.sther, November 11, 1892. Thomas 
Rothwell, our subject's .second child, who was 
born July 6, 1867, remains at home with his 
mother, and gives his attention to looking after 
the property. In politics our subject was a Dem- 
ocrat, tried and true. His long life was replete 
with good deeds, and no resident of the county 
was more respected than he. 




(7^ J. BROWN, who is located in the beautiful 
2\ village of Havana, Schuyler County, is one 
\^ of its most prominent business men. The 
village commands a splendid agricultural district, 
and the trade enjoyed therefrom is quite large. 
Our subject is a coal merchant, and is also en- 
gaged in selling agricultural implements. 



John T. Brown, the father of S. J., was born 
in Litchfield County, Conn., and was a carpen- 
ter and builder by trade. Hs took up his abode 
in Schuyler County, this state, in 1S42, and there- 
after engaged in farming until his decease, which 
occurred in the year 1890, on his eighty-fourth 
birthday. The family is of English extraction, 
and was first represented in this country by three 
brothers who crossed the Atlantic many years 
ago. 

The maiden name of our subject's mother was 
Ruby Bennett. She was the daughter of Sam- 
uel Bennett, a well-to-do resident of this section, 
and was the second wife of Mr. Brown. She be- 
came the mother of two children, and our subject's 
sister, Fannie, is now the wife of Edward Crofut, 
a resident of Millport. 

The subject of this sketch was born March 9, 
1847, on the old homestead, on which his father 
located on first coming here. There he was reared 
to a life of industry and usefulness by his honored 
parents, who, being desirous that he should be 
well educated, sent him to the district school, and 
later he entered what was known as the People's 
College. 

In the year 1879 Mr. Brown came to Havana 
and began in business for himself. He was both 
energetic and ambitious, and it was not long be- ■ 
fore he had built up a .splendid trade. He is an 
indefatigable worker, uses good judgment in all 
his transactions, and his business has constantly 
increased. 

In his political relations our subject is a stanch 
supporter of Democratic principles, and was Chair- 
man of the Democratic Central Committee for five 
years. He is a very popular citizen, and at one 
time was the successful candidate lor the oflSce 
of Town Clerk. Some years later he was elected 
Supervisor, and bears the distinction of being the 
only Democrat to hold that office. Under Cleve- 
land's first administration he received the appoint- 
ment of Postmaster, and dischaged the duties of 
the office in a most satisfactory manner for two 
and a-half years. He was Doorkeeper of the Sen- 
ate during the session of 1892-93, proving him- 
self a very capable man, and was intrusted with 
various matters ot importance. Mr. Brown has 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



4S7 



accumulated a handsome property iu Havana, 
and is regarded by its citizens as a pleasant, gen- 
ial gentleman and efficient business man. So- 
ially he is an Odd Fellow of excellent standing, 
and has been associated with Havana Lodge No. 
69 for the past twenty years. 



•^2+^®l^^®J»<!« «--<- 



QAMUELH. SALISBURY, attorney-at-law 
7\ of Seneca Falls, was born in Eagle Harbor, 
C^ Orleans County, N. Y., August 26, 1848, 
and is a son of Rev. Samuel and Electa (Beals) 
Salisbury. His father, who was born in Herki- 
mer, N. Y., in July, 1S04, entered the ministry 
of the Wesleyan Methodist Church at an early 
age, and in the discharge of his duties as a 
preacher of the Go.spel was .sent by his conference 
to different parts of the state. After a long and 
useful life, he died, in 1874. He was one of the 
earlj' agitators for the abjlition of slavery; in fact, 
so strong was his opposition to this institution, 
that he incurred the enmity of many Southern 
sympathizers, and his life was at times in great 
danger. . He was activel)' connected with the 
"underground railroad," and assisted slaves who 
were fleeing to Canada. 

The paternal grandfather of our subject was a 
native of New England, and for many j'ears was 
captain of a vessel on the Atlantic Ocean, but 
later abandoned his sea-faring life and settled 
near Rome, N. Y. Our subject's mother was 
born near Geneva, Ontario County, N. Y., and 
died at Albany, this state, in 1883; her remains 
were interred in the cemetery at Seneca Falls. 
She was a woman of great worth, a true Christian, 
and was well fitted to be the helpmate of a min- 
ister of the Gospel. Her four children were 
Louise E., wife of Charles E. Noble, of Albany; 
Emma L., wife of George Hay ward, of Fitchburg, 
Mass.; Rhyland E., Superintendent of Schools at 
Hammonton, N. J. ; and Samuel H. 



The subject of this sketch .passed the da3's of 
his youth at Albany, Syracuse and Eagle Harbor, 
and received his early education in the common 
schools of those places. Later he attended the 
high school of Pittsfield, Mass., and the academy 
at Albion, N. Y. On leaving .school he went East 
and entered upon a business life. He came to Sen- 
eca Falls in 1872 and was interested in the tobacco 
business for .some years. Afterward he was en- 
gaged in one of the manufactories as bookkeeper, 
relinquishing that position to read law with Jas- 
per N. Hammond, a prominent lawyer of this 
place. Examined before the Supreme Court at 
Buffalo, he was admitted to the Bar in 1891. He 
then commenced the practice of his profession in 
Seneca Falls and was soon appointed Village At- 
torney, in which capacity he served during 1893. 
In May, 1892, he was appointed Assistant Post- 
master under Charles T. Andrews. 

In February, 1877, Mr. Salisbury married Miss 
Lillie B., daughter of George P. Sukill, of the 
town of Tyre. Two children have been born 
unto them, vSamuel H., Jr., and Edna L. In 
politics Mr. Salisbury is prominent in the local 
ranks of the Republican party, and usually at- 
tends conventions as delegate, taking an active 
part in securing the success of his party. A 
member of the Knights of Pythias, he was in 
1 894 chosen Grand Chancellor of the state of New 
York. He is recognized as an authority on all 
Pvthian matters. 



r"RED H. METZGER, so long identified with 
r3 the best interests of the town of Fayette, 
I Seneca County, yet lives and will long live 
in the hearts and memories of his friends, neigh- 
bors and the general business community, bj' 
whom he is much beloved and highly respected. 
His life history is well known, but a brief recital 
here may more firmly establish the record of his 
honorable, upright and u.seful life. 



488 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



Our subject was born in Dauphin County, Pa., 
October i, 1824. His parents were JMartin and 
Catherine (Eshenour) Metzger, the father of Hol- 
land-Dutch ancestrj-, and the mother of German 
descent. The parents became residents of this 
county as early as 1832, locating at once in the 
town of Fayette, where Martin Metzger pur- 
chased a tract of one hiuidred acres of land. They 
became the parents of a large family of children, 
of whom six grew to mature years. Of these, 
Martin died when twenty- four years old, and our 
subject is the eldest member of the household now 
living. 

Fred H. Metzger received a common-school 
education, and, having a talent for vocal music, 
attended a singing-school and received instruc- 
tion which soon enabled him to teach. When 
old enough to be of service to his father, he 
was allowed to cultivate the farm, having for 
his own whatever he could make out of it. 
Verj- soon he abandoned this occupation, how- 
ever, and learned to graft trees, this being a very- 
profitable business. He was 'employed by the 
farmers and nurserymen of the surrounding coun- 
try, and followed it for several years with suc- 
cess, or until the death of his father, when he 
formed a partnership with his brother George and 
operated the old homestead, in addition to which 
they ran a threshing-machine and sold farming 
implements. Thej^ were the first to introduce 
the use of the steam thresher into Seneca County, 
and to them was also given the credit of selling 
the first fertilizer in the community. Mr. Metz- 
ger still has in his possession thirty five acres of 
valuable land, which he operates in connection 
with selling farming machinerj-. 

The ladj^ to whom our subject was married in 
1880 was Miss Barbara Beary, of the town of 
Fayette. To them were born two children: Rhoda, 
and one who died in infancy. Before she could 
talk the former, who is now thirteen years of 
age, was able to point out the letters of the alpha- 
bet when asked. She was a good reader when 
four years old, and on commencing school had 
mastered all the lessons in the Fourth Reader. 
She is now well versed in United States history, 
and also advanced in all other studies. 



Mr. Metzger inherits his principles in politics 
from a long line of Whig ancestors, and has voted 
the Republican ticket ever since the organiza- 
tion of that party. For several jears he was In- 
spector of Elections, and in Januar}-, 1895, as- 
sumed the duties of Postmaster of West Fayette. 
Industrj- and enterprise are numbered among his 
chief characteristics, and by his honorable deal- 
ings and uprightness he has won prosperity, 
which he justly merits. 



30HN F. CROSBY, physician and surgeon at 
Seneca Falls, is a native of the village, and 
was born November 4, 1858. His father, 
Thomas J. Crosby, who was born in Phelps, On- 
tario County, N. Y., in 1824, was a brass-molder 
by trade, and he also learned cabinet-making. 
His death occurred in 1880. His wife was a na- 
tive of Seneca Falls. 

The subject of this sketch is the fourth in a 
family of six children, three sons and three daugh- 
ters, born to Thomas J. and Mary J. Crosby. His 
boyhood days were spent in his native village, 
where he received his primary education in the 
public schools. Afterward he entered the Uni- 
versity of Vermont, from which he was gradu- 
ated in 1880, and upon his return home he read 
medicine with the late Dr. H. J. Purdy, of Seneca 
Falls, a noted phy.sician in the central part of 
New York State. After completing his studies 
with Dr. Purdy, he went back to Vermont and 
entered the medical department of the Universitj' 
of \'ermont, graduating with honors in the Class 
of '83, 

On receiving his degree. Dr. Crosby returned 
to Seneca Falls and began practice. Although it 
is said that "a prophet is not without honor save 
in his own countrj'," yet in the village where he 
was born, and where his entire life has been 
spent, with the exception of the years while at col- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



489 



lege, Dr. Crosby has built up an extensive prac- 
tice, and is honored and respected by the entire 
community. His medical skill is unquestioned, 
and in the treatment of disease he has been very 
.successful. 

In 1887 Dr. Crosby was united in marriage with 
Miss Mary Williams, daughter of Hiram L. Will- 
iams, of Seneca Falls. They have one son, Paul 
Tracy. In politics the Doctor is a Republican, 
and in 1882 and 1893 was elected Village Presi- 
dent. He was also President of the Board of Alder- 
men two years, under President Harrison was Pres- 
dent of the Pension Board, and in the spring of 
1895 was elected a member of the Board of Edu- 
cation. He is an enterprising and progressive 
man. At all times he stands ready to do his part 
in the development of the manufacturing and 
other material interests of his native city and coun- 
ty. While not a politician in the generally ac- 
cepted sense of the term, he takes an active in- 
terest in political affairs, and believes it the duty 
of every one to di.scharge faithfully his obliga- 
tions as a citizen. Socially he is greatly esteemed, 
and few men have more warm personal friends 
than the subject of this sketch. 



•»>»^«: 




(31 ARON B. LAHR, an old resident of the 
LJ town of Fayette, is well known to the peo- 
I I pie of this section as an old Union soldier, 
and as such deserves and receives their respect. 
He was crippled during his army life, and has 
never been able to do much hard work since, at 
the present time living retired on his beautiful 
little estate, which is devoted to fruit-raising and 
bee culture. 

Our subject was born in the same town wherein 
he now resides, September 3, 1842. His parents 
were Henry and Elizabeth (Singerj Lahr, the 



former of whom was born in Northumberland 
County, Pa., about 181 2, and died about 1859. 
His wife was a native of the town of Varick, this 
county, and is also deceased, passing from this 
life about the same time as her husband. 

Henry Lahr came to Seneca County when a 
young man, and for many years followed the 
trade of a blacksmith. Finally, howe\er, he 
abandoned this occupation in order to give his at- 
tention to farming. At the time of his death he 
left a family of ten children, two having passed 
to the land beyond a short time previous to this. 
Of this number our subject was the third-born. 
He had been given a fair education in the schools 
of the district, and was sixteen or seventeen years 
of age at his father's demise. After the estate 
was settled up it was found that there was little 
left to the children, and Aaron immediately 
looked about him for a situation. He first work- 
ed out by the month, and after a time spent in 
his native place he went to Clearfield County, 
Pa., where he learned the shoemaker's trade. 

A short time after our subject's return to New 
York he enlisted in the Union service and was 
accredited to Tioga County. He was in due time 
accepted and mu.stered in as a member of Com- 
pany B, Twenty-first New York Cavalrj'. From 
Troy the regiment was sent to Staten Island, and 
from there was ordered to Washington and placed 
under the command of Sheridan. The boys in 
blue were on the march for many days and nights, 
and when in Maryland our subject was confined 
in the Sandy Hook Hospital, being on the sick 
list at the time of his commander's famous ride. 
While on picket duty at Opequan Creek, Va. , he 
was shot in the left hip, and the ball, which 
broke the hip joint, is still lodged in his body. 
Being unable to take care of himself and escape, 
he was taken prisoner, and the rebels afterward 
took him to a farm hou.se and left him, without 
even dressing his wound. The good old farmer 
at whose house he was left hitched up a cart and 
took him to Winchester, where he was confined 
in the hospital, and where he received attention 
from the Union surgeons. 

After remaining in Winchester for a few weeks 
Mr. Lahr was transferred to Frederick, Md., 



490 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



where he remained until transported to Troj-, 
N. Y. He arrived at Ballimore the daj- Lincohi 
was assassinated, and in consequence thereof was 
delated in that city for a few days. On arriving 
at Troy he received his honorable discharge, 
dated June 17, 1865. He then lost no time in 
returning to his friends in Seneca County, and 
September 26 of tliat year he was married to 
Miss Ellen Reynolds, of Cayuga County. Her 
birth occurred there February 24, 1845, and her 
parents were Harvey and Emily (Botsford) Rey- 
nolds, well-to-do residents of that portion of the 
Empire State. 

After his marriage our subject made his home 
in the town of Fayette, earning his living by 
working out by the day. He was very much dis- 
abled by the injuries he received while in the 
army, and it was fifteen years before he was given 
a pension. Then, however, he was awarded 
back pay, and with this sum he was enabled to 
purchase a tract of twelve acres. For some time 
he received a pension of only $8 per month, but 
as his case was a serious one and as the authori- 
ties were fully convinced of his bravery during 
the war, he now receives $30 per month. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Eahr there have been born 
three children. Clara, whose birth occurred in 
the town of Fayette March 30, 1869, married 
Clarence Bogart June 19, 1889; to them were 
born two children: Leon, now a child of five years; 
and Elmer C, three years old. Mr. Bogart died 
October 28, 1891. Sarah E. Lahr was also born 
in this town, October 18, 1870. She was married 
to C. D. Pullman July 20, 1887, and is now liv- 
ing in the town of Waterloo. They have five 
children: Willard, born in 1888; Julia May, in 
i889;Allena, in 1890; Lucy, in 1892; and one 
born in August, 1895, as yet unnamed. Our sub- 
ject's third and youngest child, Ida May, was 
born May 26, 1874. December 27, 1892, she 
married William Brewer, and February 16, 1895, 
was born to them a daughter, Ethel. 

During the Presidential elections Mr. Lahr is a 
Republican, although in local affairs he votes re- 
gardless of party lines. On two occasions he 
was the nominee for the office of Town Collector. 
Socially he belongs to Tyler J. Snyder Post No. 



72, G. A. R., and in 1892 attended the re-union 
held in Washington, D. C. , where he met many 
of his old comrades-in-arms. , He also belongs 
to John Murray Camp, U. Y. U. 




« > '- ::>o ^'— 



HOMAS ELLIS. In compihng an account 
of the different business enterprises in Read- 
ing Center, we desire particularly to call 
attention to that of Mr. Ellis, who is one of the 
successful merchants of this thrifty and progress- 
ive village. Since locating here he has conduct- 
ed his affairs very satisfactorih', and, owing to 
the excellent stock which he keeps and the fair 
dealings all receive at his hands, he has obtained 
a good share of the public favor. In addition to 
this enteiprise, Mr. Ellis is the owner of a fine 
tract of land in the town of Reading, which com- 
prises one hundred and forty -seven and one-half 
acres of productive land, from the cultivation of 
which he reaps good returns. 

A native of this state, our .subject was born in 
Yates County, March 19, 1838. He spent the 
first tweh'e or fourteen years of his life there, and 
then came to Schuyler Count)', working out on 
farms here until attaining his twenty-first year. 
About this time he was married, and at once lo- 
cated h] the town of Reading, on a tract of land 
lying just south of Reading Center, there making 
his home from 1859 to 1876. In the latter year 
he built a beautiful home in Reading Center, and 
although he still retains possession of his farm, 
he has since lived in the town and engaged in 
mercantile pursuits. 

Mr. Ellis and Miss Jane vSutton were united in 
marriage in this place March 10, 1859. ^^^s. 
Ellis was the daughter of Nathaniel and Susan 
(Humphrey) Sutton, and by her union with our 
subject there has been born a daughter, May, 
who is now the wife of Louis Nichols, of Brook- 
lyn, X. Y. 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



491 



Mr. Ellis is held in high esteem in the com- 
munity for his social and business-like qualities. 
He takes a deep interest in the welfare of the 
town and is public-spirited and liberal in his 
ideas. For two 5'ears he served as Road Com- 
missioner, and for one year was Poor Master. 
His good wife is a member in excellent standing 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church and is highly 
esteemed in her community. 



K->^^(!^^-J< 



-*-H 



^•^M^^-*- 



HON. STERLING G. HADLEY, who for 
many j-ears was one of the influential at- 
torneys of Waterloo, but is now in a meas- 
ure retired from professional work, was born in 
the town of Go.shen, Litchfield County, Conn., 
August 26, 1812. His father, Stephen, was born 
in Otsego County, N. Y., November 17, 1786, 
and died at Egremont, Berkshire County, Mass., 
January 30, 1869. In 181 1 he married Miss 
Laura Goodale, of Richmond, Mass., who died at 
Egremont, February 26, 1855. The Hadley fam- 
ily is of English descent. 

The boyhood years of our subject were pa.ssed 
in difierent places where the familj- resided, and 
he fitted for college at Egremont Acadeni}-. In 
1833 he entered Union College at Schenectady, 
N. Y., from which he was graduated in 1836, 
and afterward he taught in the Avon Springs 
Academy. April i, 1837, he came to Waterloo, 
where he has since resided. He read law with 
Hon. Samuel Birdsall, and was admitted to the 
Bar in 1839, after which he was in partnership 
with his former preceptor for four years. Later, 
forming a partnership with John McAllister, he 
continued with that gentleman, under the firm 
title of McAllister & Hadley, until the death of 
the former. For ten years he was Justice of the 
Peace, but resigned upon his election as County 
Judge and Surrogate for a term of four years. 



Nor did his public service end here. On the 
Democratic ticket he. was elected a member of the 
Lower House of the Legislature. The Governor 
tendered him the appointment of State Assessor, 
which position he held for seven years, and which 
took him into every county of the state. He was 
also President of the Board of Managers of the 
state hospital, located at Seneca Lake, and is the 
onl}' surviving member of the first Board con- 
nected with that institution. 

October 2, 1839, Rev. S. H. Gridley united in 
marriage S. G. Hadley and Miss Ann Wells, of 
Waterloo. Mrs. Hadley was born in Glaston- 
bury, Conn., September 15, 1815, and is a mem- 
ber of the Episcopal Church, to which our sub- 
ject also belongs. They celebrated their golden 
wedding October 2, 1889, upon which happy oc- 
casion not only their immediate family, but their 
large circle of devoted friends, bestowed their 
congratulations. While in Union College Judge 
Hadley was one of the founders of the Psi Upsilon 
Society, and was also its first President. 



(^ 



I^ 



'^lll^^' 



^ 



GlDIN DENNING SOUTHWICK. It is 
LI probable that the gentleman of whom we 
I I write has an experience extending over as 
many years in this particular locality as any one 
in the county, for he was born in the town of 
Junius, Seneca County, in the same house in 
which he now resides, January 2, (813. His 
parents were David and Eunice (Denning) 
Southwick, natives of Pittsfield, Mass., where 
they were reared and married. They removed to 
this county in the year 1795, and here lived 
for the remainder of their lives. Unto them were 
born five children, of whom Adin D. was the 
youngest. Of this family all are decea.sed with 
the exception of our subject and his sister Clar- 
issa, the widow of Dr. Amherst Childs, who 
makes her home in Waterloo. 



492 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



The father of Adin Southvvick at one time was 
the possessor of three hundred acres of excellent 
land, and was deservedly classed among the sub- 
stantial and representative citizens of the town of 
Junius. In politics he was an old-line Whig. 
For manj' years he was Supervisor of his town, 
and also filled the responsible office of Justice of 
the Peace. He departed this life in June, 1843. 

The boyhood da\s of our subject were not un- 
like those of other farmer lads — working on the 
home place, and attending the district school. 
He remained under the parental roof until the 
death of his father, when the estate was divided, 
he receiving as his share one hundred and fifty 
acres. He had been married several years prior 
to this time, in 1834, to Miss Susan Hunt, by 
whom he became the father of .six children, one 
of whom is now deceased. The wife and mother 
passed away in i860, and in 1869 Mr. Southwick 
was married to Miss Margaret Hunt, a sister of 
his former companion. The second wife died in 
1879. 

The estate which Mr. Southwick now owns 
contains one hundred and twenty-six acres, he 
having disposed of twenty-four acres. He culti- 
vates his farm with the aid of hired help, and is 
well repaid for the care which he expends upon 
it. He takes great pride in this splendidly cul- 
tivated tract, and proves full}' the fertility of the 
.soil of Seneca County. In politics he was in early 
life a Whig, casting his first Presidential vote for 
William Henrj- Harrison, in 1836, and has also 
had the pleasure of voting for that worthy gen- 
tleman's grandson. He is now a stanch Repub- 
lican, and on this ticket has been elected Super- 
visor, Road Commissioner and Inspector of Elec- 
tions. 

Of the children born of Mr. vSouthwick's first 
marriage, we mention the following: Morell is 
now living in Livingston County, 111., where he 
is a well-to-do farmer; Charles is engaged in the 
real-estate business at Louisville, Ky. ; Cornelia, 
the wife of Warren H. Howe, makes her home in 
Kalamazoo, Mich.; Ellen became the wife of 
Alonzo Scribner, a citizen of the town of Junius, 
this county, which locality is also the home of 
Mrs. Clarissa Garrett, another daughter. The 



father of our subject and himself have lived on 
this farm for one hundred years, the father hav- 
ing settled here in 1795. No other instance of 
the kind occurs in the countv. 



-M 



£^^KV^^ 



'^^L^^^f^^ 






•JjEORGE C, WILLIAM I. and CHARLES 
_ E. THOMAS, comprising the firm of G. C. 
^_>| Thomas & Bros., are prominent business 
men of Waterloo. The}- are widely known as 
agriculturists, dairymen, breeders of thorough- 
bred Guernsej- cattle, also as dealers in building 
stone, dimension stone, fertilizers and agricultural 
implements. In their business transactions they 
have displayed a keenne.ss of perception and ex- 
ecutive ability that has secured for them a large 
degree of financial success. 

The parents of our subject were Michael and 
Leah (Rhinehart) Thomas. The father was born 
in Juniata Township, Perry Countj% Pa., June 
19, 1800. He left that state in 1812, accompany- 
ing his father, George Clinton Thomas, to New 
York, where he received a good education. He 
continued to reside with his parents until forty 
}'ears of age, when he was married. He still cared 
for his aged father and mother until their death, 
when he was free to engage in other enterprises 
and save his earnings. At one time he invested 
some money in oil, but this speculation did not 
prove as successful as he had hoped, for, instead 
of making a fortune, he lost most of the invest- 
ment. 

In addition to his own share in the homestead, 
Michael Thomas purchased the interest in the 
place of his brother James, thus gaining for him 
a farm of some three hundred acres. While de- 
voting himself first of all to the improvement and 
cultivation of this estate, he was also a public- 
spirited and progressive citizen. 

To Michael Thomas and wife there were born 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



493 



seven sons and daughters, six of whom are living 
at the present time. They are in the order of 
their birth named, respectively: George C, Mag- 
gie E., William I., Charles E., Sarah A. and 
Frances C. The second daughter married W. 
Clinton Kime, whose sketch will appear on an- 
other page in this work. Frances became the 
wife of William A. Smith, and makes her home at 
Newport, Perry County, Pa., where her hus- 
band is agent for pianos and organs. The hus- 
band and father departed this life January i, 
1880, and the year following his three sons en- 
tered into partnership and purchased the farm on 
which the}' now live. It comprises a quarter-sec- 
tion of excellent land, forty acres of which are 
within the corporate limits of Waterloo. Soon 
after locating on this place they invested consid- 
erable money in stock and began dairying, which 
business has rapidly grown, until it now has as- 
sumed extensive proportions. Their first herd of 
cattle was common stock, but in 1891 they pur- 
chased a fine lot of Guern.seys, and also have a 
number of Holsteins. They milk about forty 
cows, and have, all told, a herd of some sixty 
animals. 

The stone-quarr}' which Thomas Bros, own 
was formerly in possession of their uncle, Samuel 
Thomas, who opened it and put the machinery in 
operation. This yields an annual output of about 
twenty -five hundred to three thousand yards of 
stone per year. The stone is used chiefly for 
building purposes, and being of a very fine qual- 
ity is in great demand. The brothers own their 
own canal-boat and are kept busy making ship- 
ments of stone to Geneva and other points where 
they receive orders. Their bu.siness is not con- 
fined, however, to the material they ship by water, 
for they also send the product of their quarry- by 
rail to all parts of the state. 

The senior member of the firm of Thomas Bros, 
wss born November i, 1847. He is a .shrewd 
business man, and devotes his entire attention to 
the various enterprises in which they are engaged. 
William I. was born October 18, 1852, and Charles 
E. September 30, 1854. The three work to- 
gether, and by their advanced ideas and progress- 
ive habits are doing much toward improving the 
21 



business interests of their communit}\ The sons, 
following in the footsteps of their honored father, 
are all Republicans, and George 'C. has held the 
position of Supervisor of his town for two years. 




4^^s=^o 



g ARRET VAN SICKLE is the son of John 
and Catherine ( Reer) Van Sickle, both na- 
tives of New Jersey, and at Kingwood, 
Hunterdon County, that state, he was born Au- 
gust 5, 181 1. In 1832, a few days after he had 
attained his majority, he removed with his par- 
ents to Cayuga County, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. 
Van Sickle took up a one hundred and twenty- 
five acre farm near Cayiiga Bridge, about half a 
mile from the lake on the east, and lived there 
until their death, the former passing away when 
eighty-three years of age. 

Garret secured a farm two miles from his par- 
ents' homestead, but remained with them until 
1836, when he was married to Miss Sarah Jane 
Smith, a daughter of Jacob and Catherine Clem- 
ent Smith, who made their home with our sub- 
ject until their deaths, a quarter of a century later, 
at which time they were ninety-six and eighty- 
four, respectively. In 1849, accompanied by his 
wife and her parents, our subject removed to the 
town of Fayette, Seneca County, where he re- 
mained with his elder brother, Abraham, upon 
his one hundred and forty acre farm for six years, 
or until the latter married. 

Our subject then moved for the last time and 
settled upon the one hundred and twenty-five 
acre farm in the northwest corner of the town of 
Varick, which he owns and personally conducts 
at present. The farm is highly cultivated and is 
a credit to the owner, who has cultivated it for 
the past forty -one years. Mr. Van Sickle is an 
advocate of mixed farming, and puts his theories 
into practice with great success. Although he 
upholds the principles of the Republican party, he 



494 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



takes no active part in politics beyond casting his 
ballot, a fact deplored b\- many of his neighbors, 
as his ripe experience eminently fits him for offi- 
cial position. He belongs to the Presbyterian 
Church, of which he is an Elder of manj' years' 
standing. 

Mr. Van Sickle's first wife died in Chicago 
while on a visit, and left six children, all of whom 
are living. Sarah Catherine Van Sickle, who 
married a cousin bearing the same name, is a 
widow and lives in Geneva, N. Y.; she has one 
daughter, named Estella. Daniel is a farmer at 
Aurora, 111. John P. is living at Pasadena, Cal. 
Mary married Myron Van Duyne, whose farm ad- 
joins that of her father. Eydia is the wife of John 
P. Robinson, of the town of Faj-ette. George is 
in the employ of the Big Four Railroad, and lives 
in Chicago. 

Mr. Van Sickle married for his second wife 
Mary M. Smith, a sister of his first wife and the 
widow of Dr. George W. Strong, late of Ravenna, 
Ohio. There were no children bj^ the second 
marriage, but Mrs. Van Sickle had two children 
by her marriage to Dr. Strong, and they reside in 
Denver, Colo. Although eighty-four years of 
age, Mr. Van Sickle is hale and hearty, his eye 
is undimmed, and it is the universal hope of his 
neighbors that he may celebrate the centenary of 
his birth. 



QAMES M. BLAINE, deceased, was for many 
I years one of the most enterprising and re- 
G/ spected citizens of Seneca County. A man 
who was well and favorably known throughout 
central New York, well educated and well read 
in current literature and in the news of the day, 
with deep convictions upon all subjects of public 
interest, the impress of his mind was felt wher- 
ever he was known. Although not so widely 
known as his celebrated namesake, and while dif- 



fering with him upon the great political questions 
of the day, he had the same indomitable courage, 
combined with that suavity of manner that made 
him popular with the mas.ses, who trusted him 
implicitly. He was born in Northumberland, 
Pa., April 25, 1844, and was the son of Thomas 
and Margaret (McKnight) Blaine, who were the 
parents of two children; Jane M., who married 
William Martin, and is now deceased; and our 
subject. 

While still a youth our subject removed with 
his parents from Pennsylvania to Seneca County, 
locating upon a farm in the town of Romulus. 
Here he grew to manhood, and as opportunitj' 
was afforded him he attended the district schools, 
receiving a fair English education, which was 
afterwards supplemented by reading, thus mak- 
ing him a well informed man. He began life for 
himself when but eighteen jears of age, taking 
a part of the home farm and cultivating it on his 
own account. He made his home with his 
mother until his marriage, when he moved to 
another farm, remaining on the same a number 
of years. His marriage with Miss Amanda M. 
Depew occurred November 12, 1839. She was a 
second cousin of Chauncey M. Depew, so well 
and favorably known throughout the entire coun- 
try. Her parents, Peter and Mary (Purden) 
Depew, were both natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. 
Blaine was born in the town of Romulus in Feb- 
ruar}', 1820, and was one of five children, the 
others being Mary, who died in 1895; Alvira, the 
wife of Ira Brown; Celia, deceased; and Rosina, 
who is now deceased. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Blaine eleven children were 
born; Margaret, John, Charles, George, Amanda, 
Arthur, Elenora, Don Pedro, Annie, and two 
who died in infancy. In 1847 our subject re- 
moved to the farm of one hundred and ninety 
acres on which the family now resides, and here 
he continued to make his home until his death, 
which occurred September 17, 1893. He was a 
very enterprising man and was very successful 
in life. In addition to his farming interests, he 
was for some years connected with the banking 
business at Ludington, Mich. His political af- 
filiations were with the Democratic party, and 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



495 



though he did not care for office, he 3'et serv'ed 
his town as Supervisor a period of seven years. 
His death was not only a loss to his family, but to 
the community in which he so long resided. 



-j~»- — '^a+i®^^®^*^* — «— 



"RASTUS S. ROBERT.S, a well known busi- 
^ ness man of Seneca Falls, is senior member 
_ of the firm of Roberts & Briggs, proprietors 
of the New York Mills, and manufacturers of 
flour and feed. The family of which he is a 
member was first represented in this state by his 
grandfather, Nathaniel Roberts, who came from 
Connecticut to Oneida County in the early part 
of the year 1800. He had been a soldier in the 
Revolutionary War, and drew a pension for that 
service during the latter part of his life. 

Daniel Roberts, father of our subject, was a na- 
tive of Oneida County, where he was reared to 
manhood and married to Ruth Shepard. In an 
early day he brought his family to Waterloo, and 
engaged in farming and other branches of busi- 
ness. In that place his death occurred in 1850, 
and his wife also died in that village. Our sub- 
ject was born in Oneida County, September 17, 
1818, grew to manhood on his father's farm and 
in the village of Waterloo. 

After starting out for himself, Mr. Roberts en- 
gaged in the shoe bu.siness until the California 
gold fever carried him to the foot hills of the 
Sierra Nevada Mountains. He left New York 
February 5, 1849, going via the Isthmus of Pan- 
ama, which was cros.sed on foot, reaching San 
Francisco June 5, after a four-months tedious 
and expensive journey, which only those fortu- 
nately situated then dared to undertake. He was 
one of the earliest pioneers of the army of gold- 
seekers which came later, and played a part in 
many of the stirring scenes in California's pio- 
neer history. He was intimately connected with 
the discovery and early workings in portions of 



the state, such as the Yuba and Feather River 
Districts, which have since become famous the 
world over for their production of treasure, and in 
such workings he became acquainted or worked 
with manj^ pioneers, like Denver and Fremont, 
who have become prominent in the history of 
California or the nation. 

In October, 1851, Mr. Roberts returned to 
New York, but in 1852 again sought the Pacific 
Coast, where he remained until October, 1855. 
In 1856 he came to Seneca Falls, where he has 
since been engaged in the milling business. At 
first a member of the firm of Southwell & Rob- 
erts, in i860 he and George H. Briggs jointly 
purchased Mr. Southwell's interest, and the busi- 
ness has since been carried on under the firm 
name of Roberts & Briggs. The mill is regarded 
as one of the best in the county, and much of 
the credit for its reputation is due Mr. Roberts. 
He has, for many years, been a Trustee in the 
Seneca Falls Savings Bank. 

While never identified with local politics, Mr. 
Roberts gives his support to the Republican 
party, and to all measures for the advancement 
of the village. In Fayette, in 1856, he was 
united in marriage with Mi.ss Sarah, daughter of 
John Markel. They have one son, Willis M., of 
Buffalo, N. Y. Mrs. Roberts is a native of Sen- 
eca Count)', has spent her entire life here, is 
highlj' respected in .social circles, and is a devoted 
member of the Presbvterian Church. 



r^HILANDER K. CARVER, a man of much 
L/' influence in his communitj', and one of the 
fS prominent agriculturists ol Seneca County, 
now residing in the town of Tyre, is a native of 
this state, and was born in the town of Fleming, 
Cayuga County, March 20, 1821, to Daniel and 
Eunice (Iri.sh) Carver. The father of our sub- 
ject, who was born in Connecticut, went with his 



496 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



parents to Vermont, whence he came to Cayuga 
County, this state, when eighteen 3-ears of age, 
or in the year 1791. He was consequently one 
of the pioneers of that localit}', and was one of 
ten men who opened the road from Cayuga l,ake 
through Seneca Falls, Waterloo and Geneva. 
His father, David Carver, later removed to Cayu- 
ga County, where he passed the remaining j-ears 
of his life. 

Daniel Carver was drafted into the War of 
18 1 2, but he .secured a substitute and was re- 
leased. In Cayuga County he was married to 
Miss Irish. He became the owner of one hun- 
dred and fifty acres of land, which he accumula- 
ted entirel}- by his own efforts after coming to this 
county. The parental household included nine 
children, of whom our subject was the eldest but 
one. Two of this family are now living, and it 
is possible that Horace is also alive, although 
nothing has been heard of him since he went West 
a number of j-ears ago. Philetus makes his home 
in Jamestown, this state. The father of this fam- 
ily was in early life a Whig in politics, but in 
1856 joined the ranks of the Republicans. He 
died the following year, and in him the commu- 
nity lost one of its most reliable and respected 
citizens. The paternal great-grandfather of our 
subject came to this country from Wales, where 
he was married to Miss Abigail Chapman. 

Mrs. Eunice Carver was the daughter of David 
and Mercy Iri.sh, who had a family of fourteen 
children, all of whom grew to mature 3-ears. Of 
this famih- eleven were daughters, and all of 
them, with one exception, were married and had 
families of their own. Mr. Irish was a minister 
of the Baptist Church, and was well known 
through this part of the state and in Canada, 
his charges covering a large scope of country. In 
addition to following the ministry, he was also an 
extensive farmer, owning valuable property in 
Cayuga County. Mr. Carver was often called 
upon to perform marriage services, and on one 
occa.sion, the bridegroom not having the cu.stom- 
ary fee to present to the minister, his bride sug- 
gested that "maybe the Missus would take spin- 
ning for pay." 

The boyhood days ot our subject were .spent in 



Cayuga County, and when fifteen years of age he 
came with his father to Seneca Count j'. Loca- 
tion was at once made on the property which 
Philander K. now occupies, and here the fa- 
ther resided until his decease, as before stated, 
in the year 1857. His remains were taken back 
to Fleming and interred in the cemeterj' at that 
place by the side of his wife, who had died in 
1844. 

The subject of this sketch was given a fair 
education, and after completing his studies taught 
two terms of winter .school in the town of Savan- 
nah, Wayne County. In 185 1 he went to Cali- 
fornia with a party of five, making the journey 
bj' way of the Isthmus. There he began work- 
ing in the mines, but, being taken ill, was com- 
pelled to return home. On this trip he rode half 
way across the Isthmus of Panama on the new 
railroad, and was obliged to paj' $8 for riding 
twenty-four miles. He was prospered during his 
short stay in the Golden State, and was very 
loath to return home. He began working, how- 
ever, at farming, hiring out by the day until his 
marriage. At that time he possessed quite a 
snug little sum of monej-, and this he invested in 
eighty acres of land. 

March 21, 1855, Mr. Carver was united in 
marriage with Miss Sophia Burnett, a native of 
Waterloo, and the daughter of George and Mary 
(Brown) Burnett. To our subject and his wife 
were born four children. Helen married Robert 
Hungerford, and died in 1883, leaving a son, El- 
mer; Marj- departed this life in 1864, when six 
5'ears of age; and Gardner when a lad of four 
years, both dying of diphtheria. Elmer R., who 
married Josephine Earl, March 21, 1895, lives 
with his father and superintends the operation 
of the farm. 

In politics our subject was first a Whig, and 
voted for Henry Clay in 1844. On the formation 
of the Republican party he joined its ranks and 
has ever since voted for the candidates of that 
party. From i860 to 1869 he ser\-ed as A.ssessor 
of his town, and again from 1874 to 1877. As 
an official he was very popular, and gave those 
most concerned perfect satisfaction. INIr. Carver 
was originally the owner of a large tract of land, 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



497 



but from time to time he has disposed of a por- 
tion, until now his acreage inunbers one hundred 
and fort}--three acres, all excellently improved 
with the best class of buildings. He conunauds 
the utmost respect as well as the personal regard 
of his fellow-men, and we are pleased to be able 
to present his sketch to our readers. 



l(S), gkShh. ^@J 



NGN. WILLIAM H. WAIT, President of 
the Farmers and Merchants' Bank of Wat- 
kins, is a native of Hoosick Corners, Rens- 
selaer County, N. Y., and was born July 26, 
1842, the sou of Nathan and Maria (Bowers) 
Wait. His father was twice married, and by his 
first wife, formerly Lucy Millerman, he became 
the father of one child, Bety, who is now de- 
ceased. His first wife died in Hoosick, and for 
his second wife he married Maria Bowers. Will- 
iam H., our subject, is their only child. 

Nathan Wait was a native of Genesee County, 
and after locating at Hoosick became very ex- 
tensively engaged iu the manufacture of cotton 
goods. Fortune smiled on his labors, and he ac- 
cumulated what passed for a very handsome com- 
petence in those days. He removed from Hoosick 
to Hector (then in Tompkins County), and there 
he served as Justice of the Peace for several 
years. He was also elected by the people's vote 
to the position of Justice of Sessions. In early 
life he was a Whig, but when the Republican 
party rose into prominence out of the wreck of 
old political organizatious that preceded the 
Civil War, he fell into its associations, and be- 
came an active worker in its behalf. He was 
always actively interested in local politics, and 
felt that no citizen had a right to shirk his duty. 
At his residence in Hector, he died, October 23, 
1863, and his wife died in that village about the 
year 1889. 



The subject of this sketch was educated in the 
district school, at Professor Gillett's school at 
Peach Orchard, and at the Rochester Business 
College. On leaving school he returned to the 
farm in the town of Hector, and continued there 
until 188 1, when he removed to Watkins, and in 
May of that j-ear engaged in the banking busi- 
ness, in which he has continued up to the present 
time. 

In March, 1872, Mr. Wait married Miss Mary 
E. Wickham, daughter of George C. and Martha 
Wickham, of Hector. To them have been born 
four children, namely; George C, who is assist- 
ant cashier of the bank; Esther W., Robert D. 
and William B., all of whom have had good edu- 
cational advantages. Mrs. Wait is a member of 
the Presbyterian Church. 

As the candidate of the Republican party, in 
the fall of 1 89 1 Mr. Wait was elected a Member 
of the Legislature as the representative from 
Schuyler County, and in 1892 was re-elected. 
He has always been a Repu1)lican, and has been 
an active worker in the interests of the party. 
Socially he is identified with the Masonic fra- 
ternitv. 






"TbENEZER SEELY BARTLETT, a leading 
^ farmer of the town of Romulus, was born 
^ on the farm where he now resides, March 
25, 1835, and comes of good old Revolutionary 
stock, his grandfather, Haynes Bartlett, serving 
his country faithfully in that great .struggle which 
resulted so happily for the colonies. Since that 
period the United States have been the refuge for 
the friendless of all nations, and their growth in 
population, wealth and strength has been mar- 
velous indeed. The whole world is now being 
benefited by their ability to return four-fold the fa- 
vors that have been shown them in the past. No 
country is doing so much for those who sit in dark- 



498 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



iiess in other lands, and its missionaries have 
penetrated almost every nook and corner of the 
earth where man is found. Its wealth is being 
poured out like water for the benefit of the human 
race, and all this has been made possible by such 
brave and heroic men as Haynes Bartlett. The 
latter was of Welsh descent. His son, Ebenezer 
S. Bartlett, was a native of Chemung County, 
N. Y., born October ii, 1793, and was one year 
old when brought to Seneca County from Orange 
County by his father. Here he grew to man- 
hood on the farm now owned by our subject and 
brother, Andrew J. The farm was first pur- 
chased by the grandfather, who, as alreadj' 
stated, came to the county in 1794, when it was 
but a wilderness, and erected a log house, in 
which he lived until times were more prosperous, 
when a larger and better building was erected. 
He died here in 1841, and his remains were in- 
terred in the Baptist Cemetery. 

Ebenezer Bartlett, the father of our subject, 
grew to manhood on the old farm, and married 
Abigail Cooley, by whom he had .six children, 
namely: Ruth C, Hannah, Martha, Emma S., 
Andrew J. and Ebenezer Seely. The father was 
a man well known throughout Seneca Count}^ 
and did much for its development. His death oc- 
curred November 26, 1859, and his wife died J ul)- 
I, 1877. Their remains now lie side by side in 
the Baptist Cemetery, where they await the great 
judgment day. 

The subject of this sketch, who is the youngest 
of the family, was reared to farm life, and in his 
youth attended the district schools, but finished 
his education in the academy at Ovid, where he 
spent five terms. At the age of twent)--one he 
began teaching during the winter months, and 
assisted in the farm work during the summer, 
continuing in the former occupation for ten win- 
ters very successfully. The farm on which he 
resides, and which has always been his home, 
comprises one hundred acres of valuable land, 
and is devoted to general farming and stock- 
raising. In politics Mr. Bartlett is a Democrat. 
In 1873-74 he was Supervisor of his town; was 
Assessor three years, and has been Inspector of 
Elections a number of times. In 1S90 he was 



elected School Commissioner, and served one term 
of three years. For five years he has been Treas- 
urer of the Seneca County Patrons' Fire Relief 
Association; has also been Treasurer of the First 
Baptist Church Cemetery Association for twenty 
years, and Trustee of the Baptist Church fifteen 
years. He has shown himself an enterprising 
man, willing at all times to do all in his power 
for the public good. On the i.st of October, 1861, 
Mr. Bartlett was united in marriage with Miss 
Emma Clarkson, but they have no children. 

During the Centennial celebration of the official 
organization of the town of Romulus, ob.served 
June 13, 1894, Mr. Bartlett acted as President, 
and as such delivered the address of welcome. 
At the Centennial celebration of the first settle- 
ment of the town, held in Romulus in September, 
1889, he also gave an address. 




gV. SACKETT, who was identified with the 
early history of Seneca Falls, was a descen- 
dant of Puritan ancestors, his father, Will- 
iam, belonging to the seventh generation in de- 
scent from Simon Sackett. The latter emigrated 
from England in 1628, and settled in Cambridge, 
Mass., wiiere he became a land-holder. Our 
subject's father was born in the town of Warren, 
Litchfield County, Conn., in 1753, and remained 
in his native place until after his marriage to his 
second wife, Parthena Patterson, likewise a native 
of Connecticut. After the birth of their first 
child, in 1788, they moved to Vermont and settled 
in the town of Thedford. August 9, 1790, their 
second son, our subject, was born. 

A farmer by occupation, William Sackett was 
intelligent and educated above the majority of 
persons of those days. In 1 805 he removed to 
New York State, and settled in the town of Au- 
relius, Cayuga County, where he took up a sec- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAIv RECORD. 



499 



tion of state land a few miles from Cayuga L,ake. 
At the time of making the move, he had three 
sons and five daughters. With the help of his 
sons, he gave his familj' fair educational advan- 
tages. At the majority of each son he gave him 
fifty acres of land, but our subject desired a 
larger scope for his ambition than fifty acres 
would warrant, and instead he received an edu- 
cation preparatory to the profession of law. He 
studied with Thomas Mumford, in the village of 
Cayuga, on the east shore of Cayuga Lake, and 
was admitted to the Bar in 1813. His first prac- 
tice was in West Cayuga, now called Bridgeport, 
on the we.st side of the lake. 

In 1815 Mr. Sackett removed to Seneca Falls, 
then a small village. He .soon entered into part- 
nership with Luther N. Stevens, a resident law- 
yer, and the connection proved successful. Col- 
onel Mynderse, the principal business man of the 
place, became interested in him and gave him 
his influence, which he in turn in after years gave 
to other young men who needed assistance. He 
was an important factor in all important enter- 
prises of the town and county. Though taking 
a deep interest in politics, he never sought office. 
Politically he was associated consecutivelj' with 
the Federal, Whig and Republican parties. At 
one time he served as County Judge. 

The growth of Seneca Falls being hindered by 
a company that had a hold upon the water-power 
and a large tract of land on the south side of the 
river, in 1828 Judge Sackett, went to Albany and 
presented the matter to the Legislature. He suc- 
ceeded in getting the embargo removed, and the 
result was the .speedy growth of the village, as 
the property mentioned came into the market. 
In company with two other gentlemen, he bought 
the land bordering on the river, and laid it out 
into village lots, which now constitute the .south 
part of the village. However, he reserved six 
hundred acres for a farm, to which he afterward 
retired and gave his attention to husbandrv. He 
built on it a commodious residence, and took 
great pleasure in extending to his numerous 
friends the hospitalities of his happy home. He 
was well known in the surrounding counties, also 
in the state. Governor Seward was a frequent 



visitor at his home, and after he became a mem- 
ber of the Cabinet he never came to Auburn to 
visit his familj- without also going to Seneca 
Falls, and discussing important measures with 
the Judge. 

The first wife of our subject, whom he married 
in East Cayuga in early life, died in Seneca Falls, 
Juh- 29, 1820, leaving three children. February 
6, 1826, he married Harriet Haigh, daughter of 
Capt. John Haigh, an English ofificer stationed at 
Calcutta, India. After twenty-three years of 
married life, she died, March 18, 1851, leaving 
one son, John H., who is now living. In per- 
sonal appearance the Judge was dignified, in 
manner courteous, in sympathies warm, a man 
of great generosity, and one who always desired 
the friendship of others. He remained on his 
farm until his death, which occurred June 15, 
1865, at the age of seventy-five years. 



M 



1(9)^ .^0k)h__ 



^ 



'HADDEUS R. WINN, a wagon-maker in 
the town of Fayette, and one of the most re- 
spected citizens, has for many years been 
connected with its interests. He is widely known 
throughout the county, and we feel assured that 
this record of his life will prove of interest to 
many of our readers. 

A native of this state, our subject was born in 
Jerusalem, Yates County, July 27, 1829, his par- 
ents being Webster and Phebe (Pierson) Winn. 
His paternal grandfather was born in New Jer- 
sey, whence he afterward removed to the Empire 
vState and made this section his home for the re- 
mainder of his life. His son, the father of our 
subject, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, 
rendering valuable aid during the entire period of 
hostilities. Thaddeus R. bears the distinction of 
being the only soldier of the Civil War, of this 
county, whose father was a Revolutionary .sol- 



500 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, 



dier. Soon after peace was established, Webster 
Winn located in Yates Count}-, N. Y., on a good 
tract of land. He was a shoemaker by trade, fol- 
lowing this business for man\- j-ears. besides su- 
perintending the operations of his new farm. 

Wliile Thaddeus R. was a small boy, his par- 
ents disposed of their property in Yates County , 
and came by wagon and team to Seneca County, 
locating in the town of Tyre, where the father 
followed shoemaking until advanced in years. 
He was twice married, becoming the father of a 
verj' large family, and lived to the remarkable 
age of ninety-two years, dying at the home of his 
son-in-law, who was then living twelve miles 
from Rochester, near Churchville, Monroe Coun- 
ty, in which locality he was buried. 

The parents of our subject being in limited 
circumstances, and the family being very large, 
Thaddeus was bound out to a farmer when ten 
years of age. His life was made very miserable 
by the treatment which he received, and after 
two years of ill-usage he ran away, making his 
home with another farmer, with whom he re- 
mained for several years, or until nineteen years 
of age. He then began to look out for himself 
and worked for wages, learning the wagon-mak- 
er's trade. After serving an apprenticeship of 
two years, he worked as a journeyman in Seneca 
County, and in this manner made a good living. 

Mr. Winn and Elizabeth Saeger were married 
in 1854. The latter was born in the town of 
Fayette, this county, and was a daughter of Dan- 
iel and Barbara (Miller) Saeger. In 1861 Mr. 
Winn erected a large wagon-shop on the farm 
where his wife was born and reared, and was 
here residing, when, in February, 1864, he de- 
termined to do what he could to aid in the pres- 
ervation of the Union. Accordingly he enlisted 
in Company K, Fiftieth New York Engineers, 
and with the members of his corps was engaged 
in building bridges through Virginia. During 
the mouths which followed he had man)- narrow 
escapes from death, but at the expiration of his 
term of service returned home unharmed. Later 
he resumed work at his trade, and has followed 
it ever since. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Winn there has been born a 



son, Joseph, who has never enjoj-ed good health, 
however, and is at present living at home with 
his father. Mr. Winn reser\-es the right to vote 
for the man who in his judgment will best fill the 
office in local elections, but when voting for 
President is a strong Republican. He is a mem- 
ber of the Adventist Church. A man of un- 
swerving honest)', his word is considered as good 
as his bond, and the confidence of the entire com- 
munity is his. 



_5 — j„eJv^-^.^ — ^ 



RICHARD STEELE. For many years this 
gentleman was numbered among the up- 
right, progressive and successful citizens of 
Seneca County, which in his death sustained a 
loss. He was a man of honorable character, 
strictly conscientious and upright in all his deal- 
ings, and known and respected for his probity 
and unflinching integrity. From 1830 until the 
time of his death, in 1879, he was a resident ot 
this county, and during much of that time he 
made his home in the village of Romulus, where 
his widow still resides. 

The subject of this sketch is a native of New 
Jersey and was born in Somerset Count)^ No- 
vember I, 1817, being the son of Alexander 
and Nanc}' Steele. He was one of a family of 
nine children whose parents, being poor, had lit- 
tle to bestow upon them except the example of 
their upright lives. In early youth he learned 
the trade of a mason, and this he followed in New 
York City for a number of years, meeting with 
fair success in this vocation. About 1830 he ac- 
companied his father to Seneca Countj- and here 
purchased a farm, upon which he made his home 
for many years, being occupied principally as a 
tiller of the soil. About 1857 he removed to 
Romulus and bought a tract of thirt}' acres, con- 
tinuing farming pursuits in this place. Con- 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



501 



sidering the fact that he began in life without any 
capital, and that he was forced to make all he 
gained by hard work, his success was certainl)' 
commendable. His last years were spent at the 
home in Romulus, where his widow still lives, 
and here he closed his eyes in death January- 3 1 , 
1879. His remains were interred in the cemeterj' 
in this village. Though he attained a verj^ ad- 
vanced age, he enjoyed almost to the last a re- 
markable vigor of mind and body, suffering little 
dimunition of physical or intellectual powers. It 
is said that he still had a full set of teeth at the 
time of his death. 

The marriage of Mr. Steele united him with 
Mrs. Mary Fleming, a lady of estimable char- 
acter, who became his wife in 1859. Bj^ her first 
marriage she had three children, of whom two 
died in infanc}-, and Edward is a farmer residing 
in Romulus. Her first husband, Asa Fleming, 
was reared on a farm in the town of Romulus, 
where he spent his entire life. Until 1851 he en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits, but during that 
year he embarked in the mercantile business at 
Romulus, and continued in that occupation until 
his death, in 1855. He was a member of the 
Presbyterian Church, which was also the relig- 
ious belief of Mr. Steele. Two children came to 
bless the union of our subject and his wife, 
namely: John R., who is a mason by occupation; 
and Mary, wife of Henrj- Baker, 



(Am 



RICHARD VARICK. Though the gentle- 
man who bore this name has long since 
passed from earth, the record of his life has 
not been forgotten. He holds an illustrious po- 
.sition among the pioneers of Seneca County, who 
laid the foundation of its present prosperity. In 
his honor was named the town of Varick, the 
youngest town of the county, which was formed 
from the town of Romulus, February 6, 1830. It 



is the central town of the count}', and comprises 
lots Nos. 43 to 63, inclusive, with the north part 
of lot No. 69, of the original military town of 
Romulus, with lots Nos. 58 and 84, inclusive, of 
the West Cayuga Reservation, lying on the west 
side of Cayuga Lake, and east of the reservation 
road leading from Seneca Falls south through 
Bearytown to Ovid. 

The founder of the Varick family in this coun- 
try was Rev. Rudolphus Van Varick, minister oi 
the Dutch Reformed Church at Jamaica, L. I., 
who died in 1694, leaving two sons and two 
daughters. The subject of this sketch was born 
at Hackensack, N. J., in 1752, and received his 
collegiate education at Kings (now Columbia) 
College in New York City, from which he grad- 
uated prior to the opening of the Revolutionary 
War. He selected and entered upon the profes- 
sion of an attorney, but the great conflict with 
Great Britain turned his thoughts in another di- 
rection. Fired with patriotic fervor, he enlisted 
in the Colonial service, and was appointed mili- 
tary secretary to Major-General Schuyler, who 
then commanded the Northern army. In Feb- 
ruary, 1776, Congress appointed him Deputy 
Commissar3'-General, with the rank of Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel, and hejoined the Northern army in 
that capacity in the spring of the same year. He 
continued with the same division after the com- 
mand had been conferred upon General Gates, 
and was present at the memorable battles of Still- 
water and .Saratoga, in September and October, 
1777, which resulted in the surrender of the Brit- 
ish army under command of General Burgoyne, 
October 16, 1777. 

After the surrender of Burgoyne' s armj' to the 
American troops. Colonel Varick was stationed 
at West Point, and performed the duties of In- 
spector-General and aide-de camp of the troops 
of that post and vicinity for a number of years, 
after which he became a member of General 
Washington's military family, and acted as his 
Recording Secretary until the close of the Revo- 
tionary War. That he possessed the confidence 
of the commander-in-chief in the highest degree, 
is shown by the following letter, now in the pos- 
session of Richard Varick DeWitt, of Albany: 



502 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



"Mt. Vernon, Va., Jan. i, 1784. 
"Dear Sir:— 

"From the moment I left the city of New York 
until my arrival at this place, I have been so 
much occupied by a variety of concerns, that I 
could not find a moment's leisure to acknowledge 
the receipt of your favor of the 4th and 7th ultimo. 

' 'The public and other papers which were com- 
mitted to your charge, and the books in which 
they have been recorded under your inspection, 
having come safe to hand, I take this first op- 
portunity of signifying my entire approbation of 
the manner in which you have executed the im- 
portant duties of Recording Secretary, and the 
satisfaction I feel in having my papers so proper- 
ly arranged and so correctly recorded; and beg 
you will accept my thanks for the care and at- 
tention which you have given to this business. I 
am fully convinced that neither the present age 
nor posterit)' will consider the time and labor 
which have been employed in accomplishing it 
unprofitably spent. 

"I pray you will be persuaded, that I shall 
take a pleasure in asserting on every occasion 
the sense I entertain of the fidelity, skill and in- 
defatigable industry manifested by you in the 
performance of your public duties, and of the sin- 
cere regard and esteem with which I am, dear 
sir, your most obedient and affectionate servant, 
"George W.\shington. 

"Richard Varick, Esq." 

Shortly before the final di.sbandment of the 
American army, many of the officers then at the 
cantonment on the banks of the Hudson met at 
Newburgh, in May and June, 1783, and formed 
an association of which Colonel Varick was a 
member, which they named the Society of the 
Cincinnati, electing George Washington their 
first President, and providing for auxiliary state 
societies. Colonel Varick was chosen President 
of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati, 
July 4, 1S06, and held this position until his 
death, a quarter of a century later. This patri- 
otic society is perpetuated by succession from fa- 
ther to sou of its membership. 

After the evacuation of New York City by the 
British troops, November 25, 1783, and the res- 
toration of the Civil Government of this state, 
Colonel Varick was appointed Recorder of that 
city, a high judicial position, which he held 
about five years. In 1787 and 1788 he served in 
the Assembly, and in both years was Speaker, 



May 14, 1789, he was appointed Attorney-General 
of the state, but resigned September 29 follow- 
ing. He was one of the editors of the revision of 
the laws of New York from 1778 to 1789, known 
as the Jones & Varick Revision. After resigning 
the office of Attorney-General, he was appointed 
Mayor of New York Cit)-, and served in that ca- 
pacity for twelve years, the longest period the 
office has been held by anj' Mayor since the Rev- 
olution. After his retirement he devoted the 
remaining years of his life to the promotion of re- 
ligious and benevolent enterpri.ses. He was one 
of the founders of the American Bible Society, 
was its first Treasurer, and upon the resignation 
of Hon. John Jaj- he was unanimously chosen its 
President. 

In person Colonel Varick was over six feet tall, 
erect and well proportioned, and a splendid speci- 
men of robust manhood. He left a widow, with 
whom he had lived in wedlock for nearly a half- 
centurj', but no children. He passed away July 
30, 1831, aged seventy-nine years, and his death 
was announced by a general order of the Vice- 
President of the Society of the Cincinnati, July 

31- 

The above facts relative to the life of Colonel 
Varick have been gleaned from his biographical 
sketch, published in the Seneca Falls Reveille, 
July 18, 1879. 



:->»^^P-^-*- 



•*-^ 



f^«^»- 



3UDGE JOHN SAYRE. In the following 
paragraphs we present briefly biograpliical 
notes relative to some of the influential pio- 
neers of Seneca County, notably of the town of 
Romulus. The gentleman above named was 
born in the town of Blooming Grove, Orange 
County, N. Y., July 24, 1767. September 2, 
1800, he was chosen Supervisor of Romulus, as 
the successor of George Bailey, who had died 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



503 



prior to the expiration of his term of office. At 
the town meeting in April, 1801, he was again 
chosen for that office, which he continued to fill, 
by repeated elections, up to and including 1808. 
He again filled that office in 1830, 1831 and 1832. 
In 1804 he was elected the first Member of As- 
sembly from Seneca County, re-elected in 1808, 
and later in life, in 1S31, was a third time chosen. 
He served as Surrogate of the county from Feb- 
ruary, 18 1 1, to April, 1813, and as County 
Treasurer from 1817 to 1821. For many years 
he was Associate Judge of the Seneca County 
Courts, also was Loan Commissioner for the 
county, and was the first Postmaster at the 
Romulus Postoffice, established October 16, 1802. 
He died March 4, 1848, at the age of eighty-one. 
During his incumbency of the office of Supervisor, 
the county of Seneca was erected, March 29, 1804, 
from Cayuga County. 

JUDGE JONAS SEELY, who was born July 
23, 1776, succeeded Judge Sayre to the office 
of Supervisor by election in April, 1808, and 
held the same, by repeated elections, until 1814. 
He also filled the same office in 1S22, 1826 and 
1833. In 182 1, with Hon. Robert S. Rose, of 
Fayette, he was chosen to represent Seneca 
County as delegate in the Constitutional Con- 
vention held in this state, and in 1823 and 1824 
he was elected Member of Assembly from this 
count)'. In 1832 he was a Presidential Elector, 
and voted, in the Electoral College, for Andrew 
Jackson as President of the United States. He 
served as a magistrate and as Associate Judge 
for a number of years. His death occurred Au- 
gust 15, 1851, at the age of seventy-five. 

WILLIAM W. FOLWELL was born at South- 
ampton, Bucks Count)', Pa., January 28, 1768. 
He received a thorough education, and was grad- 
uated from Brown University at Providence, 
R. I., in 1792. In 1807 he removed to Ronuilus, 
settling near the centre of the town, and was 
elected Supervisor in April, 1815, serving one 
year. He was also President of the Ithaca & 
Geneva Turnpike Company, incorporated in 
18 10, and always took an active part in public 
affairs. He died October 13, 1858, aged ninety 
years. 



SAMUEL BLAIN, a native of Warwick, 
Orange County, N. Y., was born January 17, 
1777. Much of his life was passed in Seneca 
Count)-, where he enjoyed the esteem and con- 
fidence of his fellow-men to an unusual degree. 
In April, 1816, he was elected Supervisor, and 
was re-elected from year to year until 1821, also 
filling the same position in 1827, 1828 and 1829. 
After the town of Varick was taken from 
Romulus, he was chosen its Supervisor, serving 
in that capacity in 1831, 1832 and 1833. During 
the \^'ar of 181 2 he rose to the rank of Colonel 
in the local militia. For many years he was a 
magistrate, and in 1830 he served in the As- 
sembly, being a member of that body at the time 
of the erection of the town of Varick. He died 
January 2, 1840, aged sixty-three years. 

DR. MATHER MARVIN, who was born in 
Lyme, Conn., in 1786, removed to the village of 
Romulus about 18 10, and engaged in the prac- 
tice of the medical profession here. Subse- 
quently he also embarked in merchandising, and 
afterward settled upon the Wade Farm, on military 
lot No. 59. During the War of 1812 he served 
in the American army. For a number of years 
he was a magistrate and School Inspector in Va- 
rick. In April, 1823, he was elected Supervisor, 
and re-elected in 1825. In 1828 he became 
County Clerk, serving a full term. In 1833 he 
removed to Lodi, Mich., where he died April 8, 
1862, aged seventy-six yeais. 

ANTHONY DEY, the eldest son of Dr. Philip 
Dey, was born near Pater.son, N. J., February 
6, 1 78 1. He came to the town of Romulus in 
1806, and established a tannery on military lot 
No. 49. Varick Postoffice, e.stablished Novem- 
ber 19, 1832, stands on the site of the old tan- 
nery. In April, 1830, he was elected the first 
Supervisor of Varick. In the fall of the same 
year he removed to Seneca Falls, where he en- 
gaged in the milling business. He died there 
November 14, 185 1, at the age of seventy. 

JOHN D. COE was born in Ramapo, Orange 
(now Rockland) County, N. Y., June 12, 1790. 
It was in 1816 that he settled on military lot No. 
70. For many years he served as a magistrate 
and Associate Judge of Seneca County Courts 



504 



PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 



In 1834-35 he represented the county in the As- 
sembly. For forty years he was Treasurer of 
the Seneca County Agricultural Society. His 
experience as a surveyor made his services valu- 
able, especially during the earh- histor3- of this 
section, in the subdivision of the land. He died 
in November, 1878, aged eighty-eight. 

The above facts, pertaining to the life histories 
of influential men of the town of Romulus, have 
been gleaned froqj the historical address de- 
livered by Diedrich Willers, of Varick, June 13, 
1894, upon the occa.sion of the Centennial cele- 
bration of the official organization of the town of 
Romulus. This address, which was published. 



constitutes an important addition to local liter- 
ature, and is especiall3- valuable by reason of its 
preserving for future generations interesting 
facts connected with the early settlement of this 
locality. The towns of Seneca County have 
given to the world many men now eminent in the 
professions, arts, sciences, in commerce and in 
public aiiairs. From them have gone forth men 
who have gained fame and honor in the world. 
By their lives they have thrown added luster up- 
on the place of their birth, while the beauty of 
their native county and the charm of its scenerj-, 
in turn, doubtless furnished them the inspiration 
necessar\- for the achievement of success. 




gfc-i «P-o>..^ . — »^ 




__,^^&s^MM'?^ 



; '"': ,;;;. index. # -s«i|«o:r- 



iW¥>^'^' ■"'S^P 



A 

Abbey, Tyler H 404 

Abbott, John 474 

Adams, John 23 

Adams, John Q 39 

Alleman, A. J., M. D 249 

AUeman, Joseph D 407 

Arnold, Thomas H 339 

Arnold, William H 340 

Ashmore, William 324 

Arthur, Chester A 99 

Ault, Charles F 292 

Ayres, Gen. Augustus D 153 

B 

Bacon, Benjamin 353 

Bacon, Francis 133 

Bailey, Edson 343 

Bailey, John J 332 

Baldridge, Addison 350 

Baldwin, William H 442 

Barry, Edmnn S 450 

Bartholomew, L. S., M. D 187 

Bartlett, Andrew J 311 

Bartlett, E. Seely 497 

Beach, Hon. Lewis 166 

Beach, William H., M. D 283 

Beach, William T 344 

Beardsley, James B 447 

Beardsley, Stephen R 482 

Bell, Robert, M. D 215 

Belles, Isaac 456 

Bellows, George A., M. D 421 

Bennett, John M 301 

Bickford, William A 418 

Bigelow, Eugene U 245 

Birge, David W., M. D 436 



Bishop, John...., 280 

Blain, Samuel 503 

Blaine, James M 494 

Bockoven, George W 321 

Bolt, Eugene N 429 

Bolyen, Edwin 391 

Bonnell, George A 448 

Bonnell, Henry S 371 

Boughton, Prof. James S 240 

Boyes, John 362 

Brehm, Herman F 164 

Brokaw, George W 208 

Brown, Harvey E., M. D 452 

Brown, Jacob 444 

Brown, S. J 486 

Buchanan, James 75 

Bumpus, Harry K 432 

Burroughs, Oliver 458 

Burtless, Charles B 400 



Caldwell, Robert 341 

Carver, Philander K 495 

Cass, Marcus M 2S8 

Chamberlain, Harrison 154 

Childs, Hon. A. t, 331 

Clark, Edwin 241 

Clark, Hon. William B 300 

Cleveland, S. Grover 103 

Coburn, aiinor T 291 

Coe, John D 503 

Compson, George M 179 

Conover, Samuel S 360 

Cook, Hon. Charles 475 

Cook, Rev. Joseph H 216 

Cooper, Oliver C 408 

Cooper, Peter 175 

Corbett, Otis R 251 



Couch, Joel M 479 

Crane, Charles 335 

Crane, David B 247 

Crane, John 302 

Crane, John V : 271 

Cronk, William 468 

Cronkrite, Lyman 473_ 

Crosby, John F., M. D 488' 

Curtis, John A 189 

D 

Day, Charles B 331 

Day, Henry G 269 

Day, John W., M. D 471 

Decker, George 430 

Deniarest, George M 299 

Denmark, Nathan S 402 

Dey, Anthony 503 

Dey, Henry K 196 

Dey, Pierson 163 

Dey, Richard, M. D 263 

Disinger, Daniel 380 

Disinger, John E 355 

Dolph, William V 410 

Durling, William A 204 

E 

Earnest, Quincy A 205 

Egan, Michael 260 

Ellis, Thomas 490 

Emens, Prof. Edgar A 466 

Emens, Enoch 325 

Emens, Olin E 375 

Emmett, John 383 

Eshenour, Sidney A 457 

Evans, Hon. David H 117 



5o6 



INDEX. 



Everts. Charles H 329 

Everts, Daniel F., M. D 431 

F 

Fenno, Willard J 207 

Fero, Isaac W 463 

Field, Hon. Perez H 126~ 

Fillingham, Tom 209 

Fillmore, Millard 67 

Fleming, Mrs. Arazina 454 

Follet, William M. , M. D 155 

FoUvell, Xathan W., M. D 195 

Folwell, William W 503 

Frantz, John 396 

Frost, Charles S 420 

G 

Gambee, Benjamin L 241 

Gano, LeviM 279 

Garfield, James A 95 

Genung, Seth J '"8 

Gilbert, Capt. Morris J 165 

Giles, William 205 

Glazier, Walker 322 

Goodwin, John 236 

Gougar, Charles 364 

Gould, James H 2i;0 

Grant, Ulj'sses S >*7 

Graves, James M 397 

Gregory, Isaac G 221 

Gridley, Charles 1 230 

Gridley, Rev. Samuel H 446 

Gulick, William, M. D 359 



H 



Hood, Josiah 393 

Horton, Orlo 389 

Hoskins, Charles L 269 

Hoster, Daniel W 462 

Houck, Grant V 127 

Howard, Charles C 220 

Howe, Rev. Franklin S 188 

Hulbert, Elisha K 320 

Hulbert, George H 457 

Hunter, Abraham L 438 

Hurd, Hon. Oliver P 426 

Hutchinson, Charles H 451 



Ireland, John 



.480 



Jacks, Rev. J. Wilford 372 

I Jackson, Andrew 43 

I Jefferson, Thomas 27 

; Jewell, Marion B 147 

i Johnson, Abram B 258 

I Johnson, Andrew 83 

Johnson, Samuel E 134 

Jolly, Isaac 310 

K 

Kellogg, D wight M 406 

Kime, W. Clinton 440 

King, Benjamin 229 

King, James K., M. D 307 

Kinne, Henrj- L 221 

Kinne, Rev. Wisner 435 

Knight, Hoi ace W 194 



Hadley, Hon. Sterling G 491 

Hall, Martin D 363 

Hamill, Vincent D. P 323 

Hanmer, George A 157 

Hanmer, Lewis 424 

Harris, Adelben F 478 

Harrison, Benjamin 107 

Harrison, William H 51 

Haslett, James H., M. D 140 

Hause, Thomas P 144 

Hawes, P. Halsey 174 

Hayes, Rutherford B 91 

Hazelton, Hon. William C 137 

Heath, Delos L., M. D 334 

Hendricks, Benjamin 208 

Hicks, Albert A 135 

Hillerman, David C 417 

Hoag, Milton 273 

Hood, Joseph P 345 



Lahr, Aaron B 489 

Lahr, William H 449 

Lamb, David A 156 

Lambert, C. Columbus 416 

Lamoreaux, Ellsworth 282 

La Moreaux, Isaac 230 

Lane, John J 248 

Lang, John 129 

LaRue, Charles A 470 

Larzelere, George W 199 

Lautenschlager, Miss M. R 148 

Lay, Hiram il 484 

Leffingwell, William E 307 

Leggett, Edmund S 159 

Leonard, Hermon 381 

Lercb, Samuel P 323 

Lincoln, Abraham 79 



Littell, Ansyl P 128 

Lybolt, Heman R 298 

M 

McXemer, George W 219 

MacDonald, Clarence A 428 

Madison, James 31 

Mann, Mrs. Eliza Ann 259 

Manning, Hon. Fred. L 176 

Marsh, Daniel B 148 

Marsh, Thomas 278 

Marshall, Bainbridge 439 

Marshall, John 382 

Marshall, Peter 405 

Marvin, Dr. Mather 503 " 

Maj-nard, N. Barnet 246 

Medlock, Joseph 139 

Meeks, Chauncey N 169 

Metzger, Fred H 487 

Mickley, William B 173 

Miller, George E 369 

Miller, Jabez W 313 

Mills, Henry 394 

Monroe, James 35 

Montgomery, George G 385 

Moore, Martin 477 

Morgan, John M 292 

Morrison, Rev. W. A 436 

Morrow, John C 379 

Moses, Wellie P 438 

Munson, Thomas T 297 



N 



Northrup, Flavins W 309 

Nugent, Edward 272 



o 



O'Connell, John 425 

O'Connell, Rev. T. J 146 

O'Connor, Rev. James 218 

,0'Daniels, James 257 

Ogden, Charles 416 

Olin, Rev. William B 411 

Owen, Jesse T., M. D 246 



Padgham, R. W., M. D 289 

Parish, Augustine S 228 

Pierce, Franklin 71 

Polk, James K 59 

Pontius, Christopher C 136 

Pontius, Lawson 308 

Pullman, Willard 239 



INDEX. 



507 



R 

Reeder, Jacob 481 

Reynolds, John G 415 

Rhodes, John 384 

Richardson, John E 15" 

Riegel, William P 352 

Roberson, John T 453 

Roberts, Erastus S 495 

Robinson, Charles M 455 

Rogers, Gilbert E 167 

Rorrison, Alexander 341 

Rothwell, William 485 

Rowley, Charles L 128 

Rowley, George S 349 

Russell, Emmett B 19K 

Ry no, John L 237 

s 

Sackett, G. V 498 

Saeger, Nathan 459 

Saeger, Reuben E 472 

Salisbur)', Samuel H 487 

Sanderson, Charles S 179 

Sayre, Judge John 502 

Schuyler, Rensselaer 262 

Seaman, Dean, M. D 293 

Seaman, Frank-G., M. D 177 

Sebring, Daniel 401 

Sebring, Gardner C 390 

Seely, Andrew J 361 

Seely, Judge Jonas 503 

Seely, Nathaniel 351 

Selmser, Godfrey 423 

Ser\-en, Abram 250 

Sharp, Charles 441 

Shepherd, Frank R 365 

Shepherd, Lev 409 

Sheridan, Hugh '. . . .480 

Silsby , Horace C 217 

Slack, Joseph P 206 



Sloane, Charles A 413 

Smead, Clarence D 227 

Smelzer, Hon. B. T 158 

Smith, Eugene K 238 

Smith, Rev. Pulaski E 183 

Sniffen, Joseph H 400 

Snook, Jesse 303 

Snyder, Adam 419 

Snyder, Hon. George A 138 

Soule, Stephen F 373 

Southwick, Adin D 491 

Speary , Wooden A 168 

Stacey, W. M., M. D 434 

Steele, Richard 500 

Steele, Robert R ; 311 

Stevenson, Hon. R. L 484 

Stevenson, William A 469 

Sunderlin, Hon. Martin J 235 

Sutton, Carlos H 385 

Swartwood, Hon. Ben. L 429 

Sweet, Hon. William L 477 

T 

Ta3lor, Zachary 63 

Terwilliger, Alonzo H 247 

Thomas, Charles E 492 

Thomas, George C 492 

Thomas, Hon. James B 277 

Thomas, Lorren 460 

Thomas, William 1 492 

-Thorp, Walter 465 

Travis, Rev. Gilbert 125 

Travis, Hayja P 270 

Troutman, Harrison 448 

Tunison, T ^C ..48 3 

Twming, James 281 

Tyler, John 55 

V 

Van Allen, John J 226 



Van Buren, Martin 47 

Van Buskirk, Levi 461 

Van Cleef, William H 354 

Van Duyne, Myron J 467 

Van Riper, Stephen V 290 

Van Sickle, Garret 493 

Varick, Richard 501 

Vaughan, Harrison L 345 

W 

Wager, George N 370 

Wait, Hon. William H 497 

Walsh, George C 414 

Warner, John W 319 

Washington, George 19 

Wasson, James F 149 

Waugh, James 422 

Weaver, Peter 398 

Webb, Lee B.... 119 

Webster, James R 333 

Wessell, Bronson A 330 

Westbrook, Peter M 203 

Wheeler, John R 287 

Wheeler, Ogden 282 

Wilccx, Richard S 193 

Wilcox, Thomas S 267 

Wilcoxen, Judge Gilbert 258 

Willers, Hon. Diedrich 123 

Williams, John T 440 

Williamson, George W 403 

Willis, Hon. Charles T 395 

Winfield, Charies G 452 

Winn, Thaddeus R 499 

Woodward, Arthur C "•'*' 

Woodworth, Hugh H 143 

Wright, Henry C 392 

Wright, Joseph G 425 

Y 

Yerkes, John M 433 

Yo.st, Israel 145 



...>K. 




5o8 



INDEX. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Adams, John 22 Harrison , William H 50 

Adams, John Q 38 i Hayes, Rutherford B 90 

Arnold, Thomas H 338 j Horton, Orlo 388 

Arthur, Chester A 98 Jackson, Andrew 42 

A)res, Gen. Augustus D 152 (Jefferson, Thomas .... 26 

Bacon, Francis 132 Johnson, Andrew 82 

Bell, Robert, M. D 212 ' King, James K., M. D 306 

Bell, Mrs. Robert 213 Leflingivell, William E 306 

Bigelow, Eugene U 244 ^Lincoln, Abraham 78 

Bigelow, Mrs. Eugene U 244 Madison, James 30 

Buchanan, James 74 -Mickley, William B 172 

Cleveland, S. Grover 102 ' Miller, George E. . . 368 

Dey, Peter B 162 1 Miller, Mrs. George E 368 

Evans, Hon. David H 116 "-Monroe, James 34 

Everts, Charles H 328 , Morrow, John C 378 

I'illmore, Millard 66 . Munson, Thomas T 296 

(iarfield, James A 94 O'Daniels, James 254 

Grant, Ulysses S 86 i O'Daniels, Mrs. James 255 

Gulick, William, M. D o58-,( Pierce, Franklin 70 

Harrison, Benjamin 106^ Polk, James K 58 



Rowley, George S 348 

Sanitarium, Glen Springs. 306 

Smith, Rev. Pulaski E 182 

Sunderlin, Hon. Martin J 234 

Taylor, Zachary 62 

Thomas, Hon. James B 276 

Tyler, John 54 

Van Allen, John J 224 

Van Buren , Martin 46 

Warner, John W 316 

Warner, Mrs. John W 317 

Washington, George 18 

Westbrook, Peter M 202 

Wheeler, John R. . . .>^ 286 

Wilcox, Richard S 192 

Wilcox, Thomas S 266 

Willers, Hon. Diedrich 122 

Willers, Diedrich, D. D 122 

Woodworth, Hugh H 142 




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